ASPHYXIUM ZINE

Wednesday, September 21, 2016

EP Review: KAI REZNIK Scary Sleep Paralysis

KAI REZNIK
Scary Sleep Paralysis
Atypeek Music
Not much information is provided about Kai Reznick on his Bandcamp link, except that he is a musician from France and has three releases to his name. Grand Sounds PR has some more about him; according to the promotion company he was the guitarist for new wave and grunge bands in Belfort. In the late 90s he relocated to Paris, founding a solo career recording soundtracks for short films. The five track EP Scary Sleep Paralysis is his second outing, released in October of 2015. It’s worth checking out if you’re into ambient and industrial music recorded with multiple keyboard tracks and female vocals. There is a lot to indicate the new wave influence he maintained from the outset of his recording career, and there are frequent examples of colder and darker auras. Scary Sleep Paralysis plays like an outlandish dream, not exactly a nightmare but certainly an ethereal wandering that leaves you perturbed upon awakening. As indicated below, some songs have guest vocals from Heliogabale vocalist Sasha Andrès who I am also just hearing about (there is a Facebook community page for that band, named after the Roman emperor of 218 to 222 A.D.) Andrès makes her appearance on the first track Post, probably my personal favorite for its gothic overtones and additional keyboard sounds adjoining themes of techno and electronica. Her second appearance is on the third track Nails & Crosses placing emphasis on the techno and electronica sounds as well as vocal and keyboard effects like a bedlamite Escape From New York. At first you won’t think the acoustics differ much from one another, but a second and third listen will reveal a few things you hadn’t noticed previously. You’ll especially want to look for these in Monster5 and Zero Kill (Oll Korrect) with their Victorian melodies. The Recognizer is an appreciable closer as it reminds you of the classic dystopian science fiction of the 70s, future worlds where computers and humans are almost indistinguishable. -Dave Wolff

Track list:
1. Post (feat. Sasha Andrès)
2. Monster5
3. Nails & Crosses (Feat. Sasha Andrès)
4. Zero Kill (Oll Korrect)
5. The Recognizer

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