Funckarma - Solid State

At last a new full length album by funckarma is here. After the critically acclaimed 'parts' series on DUB, the funcken brothers return with their latest opus 'solid state'. Building on the already existing funckarma foundation of heavy beats and dark undertones, 'solid state' illuminates their spectacular programming talents even further with this monumental release. I personally was not expecting 'solid state' to push the boundaries that it does, but upon my first ingestion of the album, I could already tell that the project had finally produced the album I knew they were capable of. I found myself waiting, like a kid on Christmas morning, for another opportunity to lend my ear to this spectacular release. 'Solid State' has a very unique sound, not to say that it doesn't incorporate many facets of existing IDM music, but manages to arrange these common elements in such a way as to inject each song with a good dose of originality and inevitable innovation. A dark and melancholy mood drips from each track, pushed and shoved slowly by strong, crackling beats, piano and violin injections, and agonizing strings. Trickling high hats compliment sliding bass moments while distant synth tinkering fester in the backdrop. Fluctuating beats mimic and assimilate each other at every possible turn, bringing flexibility and precision into each delicately programmed mix. The melodic elements presented here on 'Solid State' are some of the most beautiful and beckoning melodies I've heard in quite some time. Female vocals are evident; more so in harmonizing octaves than actual words, which lend a refreshing human presence to the music. Each song flows evenly into the next, creating a musical work meant to be explored wholly and in detail with one sitting. 'Solid State' is a permeating mind excursion in dark and creative electronica; an excursion that I can't experience, nor recommend enough.