Luomo: The Present Lover

here's the release info (sorry for those who already get mail from ft):

--

Almost two and a half years after his first album, "Vocalcity" (Force
Tracks), Vladislav Delay returns with Luomo to explore new dimensions in
upfront vocal house. "The Present Lover" is a self-confessed outsider's
perspective on the club scene, seamlessly blending pop and club elements to
deliver a cunningly original take on pop, house and R&B, replete with
meticulous arrangements and seductive vocals.

Driven by an ever-present inner restlessness, the 26-year-old recently
relocated to Berlin. He remains on the move, constantly performing at
countless clubs and festivals around the world. A man of many guises, the
tireless producer and remixer deconstructs techno as Uusitalo, explores
experimental sound design as Vladislav Delay, and has plans to blunt hip hop
with an as yet unnamed future project.

Always hungry for new experiences, this time around Delay delves headfirst
into what he describes as a fruitful love/hate relationship with his
surroundings. Deceivingly light and upbeat upon first listen, flirting with
dub and soul as much as minimal house influences, consequent listens reveal
"The Present Lover" as an album with hidden depth. Seductively smooth and
extremely well produced, improvisation remains integral. With his uncanny
talent for making the innermost audible, Delay invites us to peel away the
layers of producer's sheen, to uncover well-concealed errors, carefully
placed breaks and tutters
that bore their way into the listener's ears.

Following the extremely successful advance vinyl release of "Diskonize
Me/Body Speaking", which last year reached no. 1 on the Deutsch club charts,
the album capitalizes on the energy generated on "Vocalcity" by mixing
dub-worthy frequencies, ethereal whispers, and Delay's singular take on
epic, infectious grooves. This album harkens back to the early
days of disco without ever wavering in its responsibility to the future of
deep house.

Johanna Niemela and Watkinson, vocalists on the first Luomo album, reprise
their roles behind the mic, while the unmistakable voices of Antye
Greie-Fuchs (Laub) and Danish songwriting genius Raz O'Hara deliver an as
yet unforeseen edge to the production. "The Present Lover" also contains a
completely reworked version of "Tessio", which Mathias Schaffhäuser (Ware
Records) called a "hymn for eternity". The track will be released this
spring, with devastatingly funky new mixes by
Moonbootica and Akufen.

Quietly intense yet intensely physical, this is distilled sensuality with a
twist, intelligent music that works above and below the belt. >From its icy
exterior to its red-hot core, from its eclectic minimalism to its disturbing
funkiness, "The Present Lover" waltzes unabashedly into your stereo, messes
with the settings, and leaves you wondering if you'll have to wait another
two and half years for the next Luomo album.

On stage the ostensibly shy Finn turns into an extrovert performer because
"music still feels the best way to express myself, mirror myself and lose
myself in. I'd love to walk around Tokyo, listening to Jazz on a personal
stereo. The contrast between the hectic visual onslaught and complex rhythm
patterns would be amazingly inspirational

Despite my love for the actual record, I'm going to borrow a phrase from Ned to describe my reaction to this sentence: IT THREATENS TO RIP OUT MY SOUL AND SEND IT WAILING INTO THE ABYSS!

Hey TIM!

At the start of the Tessio video - there is a shot of the new William Gibson NOVEL! Right after the subtitle 'Dream' - Coincidence?

Luomo - The Present Lover

Force Tracks provide info on the forthcoming Luomo album, due June 9th: Luomo - The Present Lover

Amost two and a half years after his first album, "Vocalcity" (Force
Tracks), Vladislav Delay returns with Luomo to explore new dimensions in
upfront vocal house. "The Present Lover" is a self-confessed outsider's
perspective on the club scene, seamlessly blending pop and club elements
to deliver a cunningly original take on pop, house and R&B, replete with
meticulous arrangements and seductive vocals.

Driven by an ever-present inner restlessness, the 26-year-old recently
relocated to Berlin. He remains on the move, constantly performing at
countless clubs and festivals around the world. A man of many guises,
the tireless producer and remixer deconstructs techno as Uusitalo,
explores experimental sound design as Vladislav Delay, and has plans to
blunt hip hop with an as yet unnamed future project.

Always hungry for new experiences, this time around Delay delves
headfirst into what he describes as a fruitful love/hate relationship
with his surroundings. Deceivingly light and upbeat upon first listen,
flirting with dub and soul as much as minimal house influences,
consequent listens reveal "The Present Lover" as an album with hidden
depth. Seductively smooth and extremely well produced, improvisation
remains integral. With his uncanny talent for making the innermost
audible, Delay invites us to peel away the layers of producer's sheen,
to uncover well-concealed errors, carefully placed breaks and stutters
that bore their way into the listener's ears.

Following the extremely successful advance vinyl release of "Diskonize
Me/Body Speaking", which last year reached no. 1 on the Deutsch club
charts, the album capitalizes on the energy generated on "Vocalcity" by
mixing dub-worthy frequencies, ethereal whispers, and Delay's singular
take on epic, infectious grooves. This album harkens back to the early
days of disco without ever wavering in its responsibility to the future
of deep house.

Johanna Niemela and Watkinson, vocalists on the first Luomo album,
reprise their roles behind the mic, while the unmistakable voices of
Antye Greie-Fuchs (Laub) and Danish songwriting genius Raz O'Hara
deliver an as yet unforeseen edge to the production. "The Present Lover"
also contains a completely reworked version of "Tessio", which Mathias
Schaffhäuser (Ware Records) called a "hymn for eternity". The track will
be released this spring, with devastatingly funky new mixes by
Moonbootica and Akufen.

Quietly intense yet intensely physical, this is distilled sensuality
with a twist, intelligent music that works above and below the belt.
From its icy exterior to its red-hot core, from its eclectic minimalism
to its disturbing funkiness, "The Present Lover" waltzes unabashedly
into your stereo, messes with the settings, and leaves you wondering if
you'll have to wait another two and half years for the next Luomo album.

On stage the ostensibly shy Finn turns into an extrovert performer
because "music still feels the best way to express myself, mirror myself
and lose myself in. I'd love to walk around Tokyo, listening to Jazz on
a personal stereo. The contrast between the hectic visual onslaught and
complex rhythm patterns would be amazingly inspirational

It's like discovering house music all over again. I haven't been this thrilled with repetitive beats since More Songs About Food and Revolutionary Art.

they have a long way to go before redeeming themselves for the rooty review, however

amazon uk has september 15th listed as the official release date
for the cd over here.

that's taken some time hasn't it ?

This is when I truly began to appreciate Luomo.

You can see the same thing with Kylie going in the other direction - Fever was midpoint in a trajectory between Light Years and Body Language and is much better than both.

"Mirrorball" is an interesting example of an alternative direction Luomo might have gone in with the second album - more minimal but also housier.

Dammit xpost. But I provided the link!

he's playing here in a couple of weeks and i can't decide if i should go hear him or not

off to read the matos' review...

my bad. i forgot how long it's taken the domestic release to come out. he said he's barely done any new material though.