DMC Review Of Niwa

Although Switzerland's Raphael Ripperton has appeared on a bunch of high-profile labels. This is actually his first artist album - released on Joris Voorn's Green label, which is some stamp of approval in itself. It's not the sort of album which tries any clever concepts or immediate impact strategy, having obviously been created with a great deal of care and thought: warm, melodic and subtle, its deep, spiritual magic is there for life once embedded. Although the house groove underpins most of the proceedings, tracks like 'The Sandbox' hark back to early 70s psychedelic excursions by bands like King Crimson with delicate guitar ripples and whispery flute sounds and haunting synthetic strings. 'Random Violence' is one of the most gorgeous things you'll hear all year. He seems to have this way with heart-melting strings - as heard on tracks like 'Echo City' - which, along with the other-worldly textures, sometimes places this set in modern classical realms beyond techno. But, ultimately, that is his launch-pad; he just chooses to head for the heavens.

Kris Needs

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