New Horizon is the third studio album by JK Flesh, a moniker of English musician Justin Broadrick. It was released digitally and on vinyl on 28 September 2018 through the label Electric Deluxe under the designation EDLX.058.[1] The album was preceded by streams of the tracks "Different Species" and "External Transmission Stage" in June and August 2018 respectively.[2][3]
| New Horizon | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 28 September 2018 | |||
| Studio | Avalanche Studios | |||
| Genre | Techno | |||
| Length | 51:02 | |||
| Label | Electric Deluxe | |||
| Producer | Justin Broadrick | |||
| JK Flesh chronology | ||||
| ||||
Production
editLike the JK Flesh releases that precede it, New Horizon continues into minimal techno territory tinted by Justin Broadrick's decades creating metal music.[4][5] Musically, the album is dark and textured, with pulsing beats and Broadrick's typically gloomy atmosphere.[5][3] The sound is informed by dub music.[6] About the album's deliberately stark style, Broadrick said:
I actually reduce things down so they sound more like a machine for me, not like a musical instrument. It’s somewhat trying to remove myself from the music and remove all shred of humanity.[7]
Broadrick spent a week in early 2017 recording hundreds of music jam pieces at Avalanche Studios in North Wales which he then edited and mixed over a period of a month "using a combination of hardware and industrial gear, including tape loops and echo pedals". About the process, he said "It was very hands-on and very concise. I don’t generally spend even an hour on one thing—maybe 10 minutes and I’m like, ‘Right, I’ve said everything I need to say. On to the next one.’" The rhythms on the album average between 120 and 135 beats per minute.[8]
My bottom line is often misery of some context. The new JK Flesh is very much about textures that become very earthy, burly, and somewhat hellish.[8]
Reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| The Letter | 8/10[9] |
| Resident Advisor | 4.2/5[4] |
Andrew Ryce of Resident Advisor gave New Horizon a positive review, praising its ominous mood and its "push-and-pull between aggression and restraint".[4] The Letter's Blair Millen called the album "cohesive, well sequenced and a thoroughly thrilling listen".[9] Reviewing the album for Noisey's Stream of the Crop selection, Colin Joyce wrote, "It’s gross, it’s humid, but most importantly, it’s alive."[10] Joyce also described the album as "a chilling and kinetic record of belt-sander techno that’s—to my ears—his defining work as JK Flesh and one of the finest albums he’s put out under any moniker".[11] The Quietus singled out "External Transmission Stage" as one of their favorite songs of the year.[12]
Accolades
edit| Year | Publication | Country | Accolade | Rank | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Resident Advisor | United Kingdom | "2018's Best Albums" | * | [13] |
| "*" denotes an unordered list. | |||||
Track listing
editAll music is composed by Justin Broadrick
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Different Species" | 7:05 |
| 2. | "Super Human" | 6:26 |
| 3. | "External Transmission Stage" | 6:25 |
| 4. | "Genetics" | 6:42 |
| 5. | "Earlier Form of Life" | 5:44 |
| 6. | "Macromolecules" | 5:52 |
| 7. | "The Next Stage" | 6:09 |
| 8. | "Homo Sapiens" | 6:39 |
| Total length: | 51:02 | |
Personnel
editCredits adapted from New Horizon liner notes[1]
- Justin Broadrick – instruments, production
References
edit- ^ a b New Horizon (digital liner notes). JK Flesh. Electric Deluxe. 2018. EDLX.058. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ Eede, Christian. "Listen: New JK Flesh". The Quietus. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
- ^ a b Ryce, Andrew. "JK Flesh – Different Species". Resident Advisor. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
- ^ a b c Ryce, Andrew. "JK Flesh – New Horizon". Resident Advisor. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
- ^ a b "Speedy J's Electric Deluxe Announces JK Flesh Album, 'New Horizon'". XLR8R. 25 June 2018. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
- ^ Biazzetti, Claudio (26 July 2018). "The Techno Dub According to JK Flesh". Rolling Stone (in Italian). Retrieved 29 September 2018.
- ^ O'Connor, Andy (10 October 2018). "Heavy Metal Techno: JK Flesh on Futurism, DIY Culture, and the Beauty of Non-Music". Electronic Beats. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
- ^ a b Wiederhorn, Jon (17 October 2018). "As JK Flesh, Godflesh's Justin Broadrick Finds Peace In Solitude and Techno". Bandcamp. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
- ^ a b Millen, Blair. "Review: JK Flesh – New Horizon". theletter.co.uk. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
- ^ Joyce, Colin; et al. "Stream of the Crop: 11 New Albums for Heavy Rotation". Noisey. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
- ^ Joyce, Colin. "JK Flesh's Noisey Mix Is Seething Machine Energy for a Pitch Black Room". Noisey. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
- ^ Turner, Luke. "The Quietus' Top 50 Tracks of 2018". The Quietus. Retrieved 18 December 2018.
- ^ "2018's Best Albums: RA Staff Pick Their Favourite Electronic Albums from the Last 12 Months". Resident Advisor. Retrieved 13 December 2018.
External links
edit- New Horizon on Bandcamp through Electric Deluxe