Dalot – Loop Over Latitudes
I first encountered Dalot on her Flight Sessions EP. The Greek born, now Brighton based composer painted a studied, almost collegial soundscape. I earmarked her as a musician of real character and one to watch out for, so I was delighted to see a long player arrive.
No great departure (no pun intended) from Flight Sessions on Loop Over Latitudes. Indeed a handful of tracks here are the same. Maria Papadomanolaki considers herself a composer of sound rather than musician. I understand the distinction she is making but when it boils down to it, music is composed sound. Some pieces on Loop do tend towards collage rather than traditional song basis. Yet it really isn’t anything rare in IDM or electronica fields. Some of her composit tracks even tread familiar, post-rock ground. ‘Rewind’ is in the vibe of early Mogwai with its plaintive guitar scale and sampled Police sirens. It could have fit somewhere between 4 Satin and CODY. ‘When’ even recalls ‘Stasi’, a rare track port-royal put out on Chat Blanc, and one of my favourite things they ever did.
A masterwork of simplicity, ‘When’ is a standout here too, but isn’t wholely representative of this album or Dalot as a whole. If you need a peg upon which to hang your Dalot coat, then I wouldn’t pick port-royal or Mogwai as references. I’d pitch her somewhere between labelmate Last Days , and Stars Of The Lid . Loop feels similarly autobiographical to that of Last Days (although with wordless compositions we can never be sure of that). She is a tad less minimalist than SOTL, less drone, but where Dalot really speaks to me of those two wonderful acts is in the integrity of her music. This is a personal impression but it seems to me that Dalot’s music is brave and honest. The art doesn’t seem separated from the artist. Like the sonic equivalent of a life painting, we’re really focusing in on her.
Loop.. is a fine addition for any discerning electronica, IDM, ambient fan. Yet I still get the impression there is even more to come from this young lady. I don’t believe Loop will eventually prove to be Dalot’s masterpiece. Think I’m being pessimistic? I’m being optimistic. Imagine… an album even better than Loop Over Latitudes. This is an artist to nurture and allow to develop at her own pace. It could prove to be a journey well worth sharing.