Tekrar Eden Möbius
Sheffield's Taran Ali and Joe Richards serve up an instrumental smörgåsbord of tone, culture and rhythm – and they like the numbers one, two, and three.
Two and three. In the second month of 2021, amid the third national lockdown, Taran Ali and Joe Richards – two local musicians and good friends – discovered a mutual need to musically explore the isolationist mindset induced by the pandemic. The fruits of their collaborative labour spawned this inaugural three-track EP, and it's rather good.
One. Opening track (and the first to be written) 'Devam' is based on one thematic motif which is interwoven with sonic flashpoints that are complex and nuanced. The dreamy start is the perfect prelude before a skittering time signature kicks in to flesh out the bones. Tarin's expansive drums fill in the spaces with a musical dexterity that's neither flashy or over-embellished. The production and mastering is exceptional throughout.
Two. The quasi-North African, mystical quality of 'Mocean' morphs cleverly into a two-themed King Crimson-like staccato bass pattern. Its infectious repetition counterpoints the decaying synth overlay, which drips venomously like a sonic 'blues and twos' before grungy guitars take proceedings further leftfield.
Three. Two. The three tracks appear in the order in which they were written, and closer 'Fractal', which comes in at 9 minutes and 47 seconds, expands the tonality of 'Mocean' but with an oblique change of pace. There's an intriguing battle as the droning two-note intro beat gives way to a deceptively meandering clash between keys and bass that conspire to fight cohesion but attract discord.
Three. Tekrar Eden have expertly explored three themes of subtle tonality, rhythmic approach and cultural influence to good effect here, laying the groundwork for what will hopefully be a fruitful sonic direction.
It's only minimalist, progressive rock'n'roll in 9/8 time. But I like it.
