Slauson Malone - EXCELSIOR
Warp
Slauson Malone's debut on Warp records, as expected, fits like a glove among the prestigious labels catalogue. The idiosyncratic explorations of sonic spheres is where Warp finds its purpose, and Slauson Malone falls in line unlike any other.
Welcome to the world of Slauson Malone. A world which defies the set of rules put upon it - a defiance of the creative kind. The off-world-urbanesque environment feels cold among a warmth of vulnerability. Aesthetically stop/start, EXCELSIOR breathes a few breathes, and decides that it's had enough - back to seclusion for me. The confidence to take the next step is found, right before the overthinking gets a grip.
You could call this project the epitome of a 'headphone' album. The experience is an intimate and ultimately personal one. The finer things - intricate details - would never be discovered/distinguished outside of a close-knit one-to-one relationship with how we perceive it. Headphones provide the potential to step inside of the music; to see around its insides. It's not 'music' per se. It's expression beyond tangibility, the other side of the psyche getting a say, the subconscious' time to let a little loose. The side which runs the shots doesn't get enough attention. We don't dig deep enough into ourselves, or anything for that matter. Worlds upon worlds are right there to fall into, to get lost within.
Every so often EXCELSIOR breaks into something that you could clearly refer to as music, more structurally, maybe even conventionally, what one expects - feet are on the floor, the senses align with what's in front of them - although it's mostly of a sound-collage-like nature. Bits and pieces come together to form a windswept and unconfined project. The aim of the game isn't to get people dancing, singing, or clapping, it's not even to be adored. It's to be, and do, something that's worthwhile, singular. A work entirely one's own. To lay the lines through unexplored spaces. An exploration felt out as it presents itself. No guide, no destination, only a journey. A map with no place names. Create your own and you never know where you'll end up - maybe somewhere where you want to be. Your lane. Your rules. Your set of circumstances. Offer the space up for others to do the same.
