Last Step is an alias used by Aaron Funk, whom you may know as
Venetian Snares. His new adventure is called 'Sleep' and - as the title
suggests - it's a collection of compositions that Funk recorded quite
literally as he was falling asleep.
For those used to Funk's more
abrasive recordings the slower, woozy tempos and soporific atmospheres
may come as a surprise. Recorded using his own arsenal of analogue
synths and sequencers, Aaron has exploited the wandering timing and
pitch of these old beasts to produce uncanny and evocative detuning
effects which add to the induced torpor. Even the track titles relate to
the theme: 'Xyrem', a narcolepsy treatment; 'Cimicdae', a name for the
bedbug family. So, while the atmosphere may be unsettling in places, the
tempos and structures are those of an experimental house music album,
with abstracted 303 acid lines and classic drum machines acting as a
welcome familiarity as you navigate the odd time-signatures and plastic
aural sensations of Last Step's hypnagogic world.
In the words of the man himself:
"Sleep
are tunes I recorded while falling asleep. These tracks are really
different for me, really mellow and dreamy, that nice comfortable
feeling when you're falling asleep. Feels pointless to describe it, that
feeling, there really shouldn't be words for that state, so I describe
the process a little instead. For awhile, when I was really tired and
ready to go to bed instead of going to sleep I would make a tune. Get
some stuff going on my sequencers, drum machines, patch up my modular
and just jam it. Would fall asleep alot listening to the sequences, few
seconds of sleep or a few minutes, wake up in it. This is what I sound
like in my sleep."
" - planet mu
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