about the record

Cryptic, twilight emissions from Villalobos and Loderbauer: their synthetic compound of electronics and ouroboros jazz has walked from ECM and Perlon over to Mana.

Developing a sound that drifts between otherworldly atmospheres and strange fusion, Vilod evade easy categorization, even when compared to Villalobos’ already experimental and genre-twisting solo minimal work. He and Loderbauer strip away the backbone inherent in the structure of dance music, and The Clouds Know refines a deft and subtle musical noir built on ambient cues, sparks and claps of electricity, brushed drums, black voids, and subterranean bass swoops. There is a twinkle in the eye and flashes of deadpan levity, but the prevailing mood is sober and introspective. Emotions run deep.

Through studio mastery and an enigmatic musical language, the album forms a fascinating sonic and sensory experience with few compromises. With erratic rhythms notably submerged, techno persists as an irregular pulse in the belly of the beast as fields of crisp, uncanny detail open outward. Humid environments emerge, dense with the chatter of synthesized insects, the soft rain of drums, and whispering cymbals, enchanting the listener in focus or sublimating into layers of ambience depending on the listener’s disposition and the quality of the stereo field.