Continuing on in the attempt to clean up some of the backlog of unreviewed promos sent to Chain D.L.K. central, we have Sean Von Sleight and his Covid-inspired album, 'Life Under Quarantine.' Von Sleight is the label head of Fringe Biology Recordings (I know I've reviewed something on this label before, but can't remember who or what) and also has a project called Rubber Band Banjo. This album features the rare Suzuki Waraku Koto Synthesizer, a synth that looks like a koto (encased in exotic wood) with 27 keys and 5 string bridges and 4 assignable drum pads using traditional Japanese instruments such as koto, shamisen, shakuhachi, etc. The album consists of only two traclks - "Prepare/Pandemic/Response" (15:33) and "Recovery" (25:18).

Most of the first track is hypnotic/tribal, building slowly with only synth bass notes and a light synth pad and drone at first, then at almost the 3 minute mark, acoustic drums/percussion coming in, minimally at first, then expanding the rhythm track as things move forward. Outside of the percussive embellishments and some additional drone and sparse electronic effects, things don't change much for a good long while making this repetitively hypnotic with a very tribal feel. Midway through the drums temporarily drop out before they come back stronger a number of measures later. At 11:35 a strong seven-note melodic pattern (in sync with the rhythm of course) comes out of nowhere taking over until the piece falls apart in various echoed elements and noises. Not sure that melodic pattern was necessary...but...moving on...

"Recover" emerges seamlessly out of the preceding still seeming randomly experimental. At about the 2 minute mark a couple of gauzy ambient chords emerge laying down the pads that will continue to be the mainstay of the piece for awhile until the kit drum track kicks in at 5:45, but the pads continue on along with the drone. Not really too tribal here because the beat is fairly straightforward drumkit (even if a little Enigma-ish) but still somewhat hypnotic in its repetition where there is little change, except the drone is sounding organy now. At some later point nearly everything drops out but the drums (and maybe bass), then after a little while a little echo-tapped repeating synth melody emerges which seems to have been played manually rather than sequenced because the timing isn't perfect. Perhaps that was the point. After awhile that too disappears. (It will emerge again by the end.) Something eventually replaces it but by this time I'm getting kind of bored knowing this probably isn't going anywhere other than where it's already been.

So to sum up - Track 1 - very cool in its hypnotic/tribal phase, not so much when the melody comes in towards the end. Track 2- I have no idea what was on Von Sleight's mind when he composed the track; the drum rhythm track was well-defined but there wasn't enough to hold the piece together in my opinion. Kind of a mixed bag. Apparently the CD is limited to 25 copies, and the vinyl is sold out. Otherwise there is digital and cassette.