Mathew Jonson At Juno Download

Review: Agents of Time marks Mathew Jonson's debut solo album nearly a decade after his debut EP, New Identity, on the Itswhatitis imprint, and sees the Canadian present a consummate mixture of abstract downtempoisms and all consuming excursions into melodic techno. Album opener "Love In The Future" is a stuttering swoop through crystalline and lushly orchestrated electronica which descends into an ever decreasing synth wash before emerging on the other side via the punchy melodic techno of "Girls Can Dance". A sombre mood permeates throughout, a reflective synth melody central to the slow pace of "Night Vision" and "Pirates In The 9th" characterised by a sinister bass line floating underneath gentle IDM clicks and cuts. A rare digression from the sedateness is provided by the Hi NRG thump of "Sunday Morning Disco" and shares billing of album highlight with an alternate take on Jonson's 2005 masterpiece "Marionette".

Review: Anyone who followed Mathew Jonson's development since the early 00s will welcome the relaunch of Itiswhatitis. It was this label, formerly owned and run by Canadian DJ Spencer Drennan, that provided a platform for early Jonson and Cobblestone Jazz material. Now that Jonson himself is at the helm, having bought the rights to the label from Drennan, it comes as no surprise that the approach harks back to the early period of his career. The title track contains an unmistakably lithe, supple rhythm, a bubbly bassline and trancey melodies literally dancing over the arrangement. "Passage To The Other Side" has a tougher, more moody bass, but again Jonson offsets it with angelic, ethereal melodies.