Psilodump
The Nya Albumet
[album, Demon Tea]
7
I despise silly titles like The Nya Albumet (The New Album), but the tracks that make up Psilodump’s double CD feel, if not flawless all the way through, at least distinctly uplifting and energetic. Behind the name Psilodump is Simon Rahm, a guy who released his first EP back in 2001. That EP landed on the Swiss label Domizil, which focuses on experimental electronic music. Since then, he has released records on Swedish labels Sound of Habib and Q-Records, but today, it’s the Australian label Demon Tea.
In addition, Rahm has managed to remix both Kraftwerk and Slagsmålsklubben, as well as perform live at raves, clubs, and festivals, both in Sweden and abroad. The Nya Albumet features a mix of all kinds of modern, synth-driven, and often danceable music that grooves a lot but also confuses at times. Sometimes it brings to mind The Prodigy, sometimes it’s breakbeat, other times big beat, occasionally more straightforward techno, and sometimes an experimental but always rhythmic mishmash of God-knows-what, with a bit of video game-inspired flipping thrown into the mix.
What’s particularly enjoyable about this album—besides the sharp genre shifts and the ecstatic, pumping energy that often emerges—is that it’s both danceable and highly listenable at the same time. Music like this can easily become unbearably repetitive and dull, but Psilodump has the ability to keep me focused for most of the journey, and that’s not bad.