The guys that are operating Vancouver-based Raven Sigh apparently don't sleep at all. Relentlessly, they keep finding and debuting fantastic artists, publishing release after release in very short terms, and the quality of those grows with each one. This time we are offered to earwitness the rise of French artist Arthur Lion Léo, who might be known to you as a half of Nashton Records-signed techno act Pleije - the other half being Clément Hiernaux; but we're here to talk about Arthur's solo project LNA, through which he put out this first EP of his for your consideration, and the price of it, as with every release on Raven Sigh, is for you to name.

    The 134 BPM, Buddhism-inspired opener Tiratana starts with a breathing bassline that emotionally, or rather, tone-wise goes through stages of confusion towards the enlightenment, and occupies predominantly left channel, it is soon joined by dry 16/4 hats sightly filtered with reverb, whose gain is being arbitrarily, subtly manipulated and high-passed, a pattern of 4/4-turning-5/4 acidic kicks - both of which sharply rise in volume and tension as the track reaches main sections, 1/4 noise-shaped sweeps and another acid bassline, a playful one, resembling audio emanations of multiple shooting blasters. Pestilence rises 2 BPM points up, engaging similarly-shaped acidic kicks, 16/4 slim hats, distorted, grunting synth loops and rapidly panning, noise-shaped pads that appear every 16 bars; with arrival of the second section appear a deafening 16/4 arrangement that takes over all the space from mid to top of the spectrum. Veils elevates a further BPM point in tempo, offering melancholic, moderately distorted bassline, resonant pads maid out of sheer noise, syncopated 5/4 kicks that get successively echoed in each channel, along with soft, interestingly shaped and arranged hats, supported by adjacent layer of cybernetic 16/4 hats in simple time signature that rise and fall in volume, enhancing the intended effect; 5'30" just don't seem enough for this marvelous, captivating composition. Also hailing from France, one Oposition assumes a role of a remixer, reworking Veils as he sees fit - the tempo was adjusted a couple BPM points down, the kicks took on a straight-forward, 4/4 form, the bassline is now an oscillating in mid-ranges, alarming, arrhythmic loop of 3 notes with a subtle, supporting arrangement going on in the background, the 4/4 hats here are made out of generic sweeping sample, doubling last hit every 4 bars, while sheets on tonal noise are being used in the breaks.

Release Type: EP

Release Date: 4 December 2016

Release Format: Digital

Record Label ● Catalog: Raven Sigh ● RVN015

Purchase Links: Bandcamp