Conjecture, aka Vasilis Angelopolous, dropped V (for vinyl? Probably not) on Amek in 2019, but Angelopolous wasn’t
done there. He had some extra tunes that didn’t make the cut, and he wanted to complete the document V and get everything out there in the
world that he intended. Thus we’re treated to ∫V, which, surprisingly or not, depending on
how mathematically inclined you are (I’m not), translates to “complete V” in
mathematical language, with ∫ being the symbol for “complete.” Now that I’ve knocked
your socks off with that titillating bit of arcana, we can get down to business
– the business of finishing up V as
God and Vasilis Angelopolous intended. [Ed note: “God” is not intended to equal
“Vasilis Angelopolous” in that sentence.]
We play around with the idea
of singular vision, and we certainly find a number of artists who purport to
express that vision, whether we agree with it or not (and really, who are we to
disagree with another’s vision?). But
Angelopolous had a vision for
his work as Conjecture, and he truly completed it with ∫V. The three tracks appended to the original idea are supermassive
black holes of colorless density, great subterranean aquifers of viscous
albumen, molten rivers of liquefied steel. In the language of sound and music,
not metaphor, we’re dealing with an onrush of nimble proto-industrial
electronics, or ambient synthwork with a decided pulse. Maybe if Orbital
completely melted down in a blast furnace and the sound was barely Orbital
anymore, you might start to get there. Or you might just be like, “This is on
Amek?” and you’d be equally if not more so in the right spot.
The three new tracks also
get the remix treatment from Amek family members antechamber, Талос,
and LATE, so there’s a shattered-mirror effect going on here with the
revisions. (LATE was one of my introductions to Amek, and so I’ve got a soft
spot for the project.) Basically, ∫V is like one of those 1990s maxi-singles with a bunch of remixes, like
something from KMFDM or, uh, Busta Rhymes. (I LOVE Busta.) It’s actually kind
of brave of Angelopolous to let others in on his vision, giving them free rein
to retool his work. Good thing it turns out incredibly well, otherwise this
Conjecture material might have ended right back up in the vault.
https://conjecture-project.bandcamp.com/
https://amekcollective.bandcamp.com/
--Ryan
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