Art As Catharsis is proud to announce the release of Luo’s Convoluted Mess Machine – a complex, beautiful mix of electronica and progressive instrumentation.
Taking a keen focus on fusion, contrast and texture, Luo plunge listeners into an exploration of mood through a complex mix of both abstract and classical compositional elements. Those with a keen ear might hear the instrumental vigour of Tigran Hamasyan, The Mars Volta and Battles, coupled with the electronic finesse of heavyweights such as Aphex Twin, Flying Lotus or Tim Hecker. Intricate drumming, melodic hooks and richly textured electronics are the key to Luo’s extravagant soundscapes – each more daring than the last.
“Convoluted Mess Machine is basically a self-referential, tongue in cheek nod to our own brains & way of making music,” begins producer Josh Trinnaman. “The nature of the tracks and a representation of the EP (and by extension, Luo itself) being a space where anything we choose can be utilised in the way we want to. It’s essentially saying our brains/combined creative process is the titular ‘machine’, which hungrily and feverishly gobbles everything funnelled into it and regurgitates it all into new, mutated forms/tracks.”
Opening with busy drums and icy electronics, Tightrope Tap Dancer is the first energising single from Luo’s Convoluted Mess Machine. The track is a melodic success. Creeping in and out, rising and falling – the layering of compositional elements creates something subtle and busy, but delicately beautiful. Like glass, this all shatters at the throw of a prog-riven rush and heavy bass guitar, plunging the song into a gripping display of riffs and grunt. As the song reaches its end, clarity approaches – showing with a hint of elegance that Luo’s melodic delivery is a cut above the rest.
“One of the main goals with our music is to merge the worlds of organic with electronic and old with new,” says Trinnaman. “We really wanted to use a traditional but rarely used method of song writing with this track & bring it into the modern day. The whole track is based off of the use of theme and variation traditionally used in classical music, but reinvented for our electronic/prog fusion madness. The main hook is used throughout the tune, but re-invented during each section going through different moods and emotions, which is something we like to explore in our tracks – there’s not a story or a meaning behind things as such, but we do want there to be a sense of a journey or narrative through different emotional states and genres.”
Convoluted Mess Machine marks a shift in dynamics for Luo. Since the release of last year’s record Unspoken, the band’s line-up has cut down to two members: founder Josh Trinnaman and drummer/songwriter Barney Sage. Yet, despite the change, no sonic compromise has been made. The album is the precipice between the old and the new – expanding on their previous dark and heavy territory while re-introducing melodic and glitchy elements from their earlier work. Those following Luo’s career will be more than aware of their gripping performance at ArcTanGent’s ATG TV Online Festival, stunning support slots amongst Battles, Death Grips, Venetian Snares, Shigeto and more – along with the excellent feedback received on their previous release from the likes of Clash, The Line of Best Fit and other publications. For newcomers however – this acclaim will be something they soon understand and feel for themselves in each deep soundscape.
Luo’s Convoluted Mess Machine is out 15 October on Art As Catharsis. Their second single, Auris Animi is out now.
