Behind the healthy noise of the current 140 scene lays the innocent, unearthly sounds of Kodama. Nestled in the sun kissed streets of Barcelona, Kodama has sparked many emotions across his growing body of work, including ‘Cronauer‘ EP on Subaltern Records to the more recent ‘Clear Your Head‘ EP on Infernal Sounds. Although he enjoyed a couple of features on the label’s superb compilation projects last year, the one imprint Kodama has been destined to grace his presence on individually is the mystifying Rarefied. Throughout their four years of mind-bending experimental projects, Rarefied has taken us on emotional journeys through the dark, festering undergrowth and the magical wonderlands of left field bass music. Their taste has remained impeccable, signing some of the most creative and enigmatic producers in the scene today. It doesn’t stop at RARE15 either, as Kodama blesses the imprint with two compelling tracks, abundant in colour and familiar moments of rarefied intoxication.
Kodama feeds the soul with ‘2D‘. A hypnotic track that politely persuades you to close your eyes, count to ten, and lose yourself in Kodama‘s new wave of magic and wonder. The heaven fed harps and warm synth lines could be construed as anywhere between hopeful reminders of breezy summer evenings to something deeper and more soul consuming. Whilst there are no tangible sounds of nostalgia, there’s still something rather sentimental emanating from it’s core as we continue to follow the elegant melodies and eventually, the endearing warm-hearted vocal licks that simply drops the jaw. ‘2D’ is as haunting as it is romantic and encourages conflicted thoughts of moments gone by, missed and longed for, with a more optimistic view of the past, present and the future. A captivating soundtrack wrapped within a blanket of smoothly driven bass to keep those subs smiling.
The sister track ‘Honeyed‘, maintains that golden glow with sweet 2-step flavours. Kodama frees all inhabitations with this uplifting cut, releasing any pent up energy that may be bottled up in the feet of an enraptured dancefloor. Although this is very much an injection of dancefloor energy that draws from the ever long spirit of garage, Kodama still waves his wand over the rumbling lows and conjures another enchanting creation. A magical manifestation of an alien rainforest, growing in abundance between your ears. Friendly beings chatter between themselves amongst healthily pollenated flowers and foliage of vibrant purples and lilac. It’s a world of nirvana where Kodama‘s shimmering amethyst synths are once again the oracle, formulated and modulated in a completely different dimension and language. The melodies grow in the shape of wistful guitars and innocent piano keys,
transforming of their own accord like a flourishing sonic ecosystem, buoyant and bright.
Rarefied continues to be an unstoppable vehicle for those looking to venture away from the beaten path. Plenty of travellers have hopped on and found a home for their mesmeric productions in he past, including some of my favourites like Soukah and Primer. And Kodama is the latest to do so for RARE15, sharing two tracks of carefree bass music, albeit stirring and thought-provoking.
RARE15 is out 09/07/2021 and is now available to pre-order on vinyl here and digitally via the Rarefied Bandcamp.
Check out Kodama on Soundcloud and Instagram.
Check out Rarefied on Soundcloud and Instagram.