Deepchord: Vantage Isle Sessions

In terms of ambient dub, if Basic Channel is the Father (the source, remote and inaccessible and very powerful) and Pole is the Son (dazzling but ultimately stranded halfway between man and the divine), than Rod Modell’s Deepchord and his Echospace label he run with Steve Hitchell is definitely the Holy Spirit. Modell is probably the only guy out there who could make an album of remixes of one track — remixes almost totally done by himself and Hitchell (Gerard Hanson aka Convextion contributes one mix out of 13) — sound appetizing rather than boring. And sure enough, he pulls it off; this isn’t quite as sublime as Deepchord’s mindboggling LP The Coldest Season from last year, but it’s a hell of a lot closer than one track remixed for nearly 80 minutes deserves to be. Sometimes there are beats and propulsion, sometimes “Vantage Isle” in its many forms wafts and floats instead; all versions share a keen dubwise intelligence and the kind of masterful, seemingly effortless control of mood and tone Deepchord always boasts. Ambient dub sure isn’t for everyone (the video below should make up your mind), but if you’re a fan Deepchord is an act you have to follow; they’re just that good.