Joey Anderson: After Forever Vinyl 2LP

Joey Anderson has steadily been building a following over the past few years. His releases on UntilMyHeartStops, Syncrophone, Avenue 66 and his own Inimeg Recordings have exposed his particular style of psychedelic house to this gradually growing audience. The New Jersey producer's productions are immersed in ambient sounds that appear to move in and out of the tracks on their own. Stray samples and accidental pieces of instrumentation float above chugging rhythms creating a chain reaction of sound. It can create an artificial haze that seems to hover around your head. That Dutch label Dekmantel commissioned an album from Anderson makes sense; his productions seem more suited to the format than most dance music artists at the moment. After Forever continues Anderson's exploration of house music's depths. Those that are familiar with Anderson's deeply rooted style wont be surprised by the sounds that make up the album. However, it's not what is on the surface that is so intriguing. What lies beneath are his subtly changing arrangements and seemingly unending bouts of hypnotic repetition. There's a lot at play here, from the ambiance of the opening track, "Space Between Curtains," to the droning techno of "Brass Chest Plate." "It's A Choice" seems to continue where his brilliant "Above The Cherry Moon" left off. The near whispered vocal sample is tempered by an equally restrained 303. The 8 minute jam that makes up "Sorcery" sounds like an alchemist is working the boards. Anderson has said that he tries to "humanize" tracks and make them "related to some kind of human experience," and he more than succeeds with After Forever. Recommended.

• music label: Dekmantel 2014

reviewed by Joey Coco 06/2014