Polychrome - KOAN Sound

Pristine production, meticulous mixing, and a set of wonderfully groovy beats, the tracks of "Polychrome" are astronomically tough to beat.

KOAN Sound are truly one of a kind artists. This is a style they seem to have perfected over the years, the oddly funky style with rich production, richer basswork and even richer synthwork. "Polychrome" is the brainchild of the years of experience KOAN Sound, as one of the most respected duos in the scene, have amassed, and it shows. Somehow simultaneously hard-hitting and great fun to listen to, whilst also being relaxed and almost lazy in places—like autumnal spices in a warm coffee with a little bit of a kick to it—the sonic depth that "Polychrome" provides is thoroughly impressive and impressively thorough, lending itself to any mood, in any place, at any time. Perhaps you're looking for a DnB heater in "Hydroplane", or a stylish cut in "Hustle Hammer", or perhaps you're just looking to wallow in the tamer, more natural final tracks like "Jongmyo" and "The Zulla"; it doesn't matter, because whichever way you look at this LP, the attention to detail is always there, a core aspect of the art that's always in corner of your ear, subtle yet with noticeable impact. Time and time again, KOAN Sound justify their position in the sound design hall of fame, and if there was ever an album that could carve that into stone, it would be "Polychrome". With absolutely no hints of any cohesiveness to show for—other than what seems to be an overall mood consistency (for the most part)—"Polychrome" still manages to zip past the 80/100 barrier with flying colours, and that in itself should be persuasion enough to highlight the absolute technical brilliance KOAN Sound have pulled off, and hopefully will continue to pull off in the future, as they have in the past.

But that lack of cohesiveness does prove to be a bit of a roadblock for this project. Don't get me wrong, the mood consistency is nice to have, but for a wholly instrumental album that clocks in at just under an hour, not having any real glue to stick the tracks together is a tough blow, which, although it doesn't really detract from the listening experience, leaves me wanting just that little bit more to be satisfied. As a result, it does feel like a bit of a drag to get through some of the sections when you look at the LP as a holistic project.