Ramses

Up next with the hieroglyphic wares are new-to-the-fold Dutch duo Ramses, alias Erik Buschmann and Wannes Salomé of Amsterdam-based outfit, Klangstof. Out of a string of free-form writing sessions where they got to lay down ideas for a new project, the material for Ramses organically emerged, paving the way to deep, playful and climactic pieces of weightless electronics, aimed at reaching the summits of computer-aided escapism.

Ramses’ debut effort for Kompakt, “I Feel Nothing” EP, is made up of three cuts tied by their shared sense of ethereal timelessness and ample versatility. Starting off as a wonky, hybrid Italo-bass churner, the title-track swiftly evolves into a pulsating crescendo of elegiac voices, opaque synthwork and cascading bleeps and bloops, eventually hatching into a soul-healing finale of piano-laced stasis. 

Soulful and boogie-friendly to the core, “Born To Fail” pays tribute to the duo’s Egyptian imaginary backdrop through a lush mix of Cali-funk motifs and melodic tropes reminiscent of the great land of the pharaohs. Rounding off the package, dreamy drift “Groef” makes for a more subdued and sentient entry into Ramses’ ambient world, fusing bleached-out pads, slo-blooming keyboard flights and Sino-flavoured harmonics in one lavishly textured, oneiric tableau that keeps on shifting perspectives.