[Prologue]

Donato Dozzy cuts a neat line in skewed, after-hours techno that leans toward the twisted and melodic. His tracks have found an appreciative audience in venues such as Panorama Bar where — unrestrained by traditional notions of time — they provide a perfect soundtrack to messy daytime sessions. On this album, however, Dozzy and engineer Neel provide something rather different. A selection of increasingly hypnotic tracks that immerse the listener in a sultry tribal pulse — and a concept LP of sorts — Voices From The Lake takes inspiration from natural tranquility, but retains a steadying and soothing functionality.

Opener, “Iyo,” sets the scene with a field recording of waterfalls imposed against a collection of scattered hats, synth drones, and delayed rimshots. The humidity is palpable and a pleasing atmosphere of tropical sloth prevails. Continuing with “Vega,” a stronger 4/4 joins the mix, alongside a subtle vignette of echo-enriched piano hits and various layers of percussion. The subtle progression throughout tracks is hypnotic. Each bleeds slowly into the next — tribal workouts that build definitely, but somehow imperceptibly. A sense of release comes in the form of a simple chord progression in “S.T.” (VTFL Rework). This four-chord melody marks the turning point for the record into slightly clearer waters for a scant five minutes before a darker return on “Meikyu,” a 10-minute epic that works the percussive elements from the previous tracks into a peaking maelstrom.

This is a record that has a palpable and enveloping physical presence, inviting you to engage with it in one uninterrupted sitting. Voices From The Lake provides an atmosphere of intense concentration and beautifully renders natural majesty in opposing shades. Dozzy and Neel have created something rather unique here, and prove that the art of the after-hours LP is alive and well in 2012. Give this record the time it so richly deserves, and it will pay back in dividends.