review of "trapped in a day job"

[gustavojobim]

Artemi Pugachov just published a nice review about my 2011 release, "Trapped in a Day Job".

The album is available as free full audio streams or low price download (flac/mp3/ogg etc. including digital booklet). It's hosted at Bandcamp.

This is the official album page: www.gustavojobim.com/en/mus_tra.php

And this is the review:
Direct link: http://www.pugachov.ru/eem/reviews4.html#JOBIMTRAPPED

Full text:
Brazilian artist Gustavo Jobim is certainly one of the most interesting and promising acts on the current EM scene. A while ago I reviewed his CD album "Round Mi" that featured a nice mix of Berlin School influences and Minimalism; as well as a few of his download-only releases. All of his works were quite different but he managed to maintain a high quality of his output, whatever the chosen style of music. This particular album was recorded at work. This means that all tracks were recorded using office PC running a basic synthesizer / sequencer software (TS-404).

"Lets Fly" gets straight into sequencing. It's minimal and yet hypnotic and captivating. Actually, you only hear sequences here, about 4 or five of them. Some of the sequences serve as rhythm, some provide the melody and some act as bass... you get the picture. Simple, but effective. The music is not static, as Gustavo changes notes on the fly, alters filter and resonance parameters, resulting in a lively concoction of electronic pulsations. It is interesting to trace the intricate road this piece takes, guided only by the author's imagination and the instrument's limitations.

"Moebius Tape" strikes a quirkier note, initially sounding like some cartoonish frog choir. The tempo is slightly slower but it's basically the same thing - sequencing and just sequencing. This track is really heavy on the bass. I am thinking about the tracks' title now. Although it does refer to mathematics, I am indeed reminded a bit on the music of Dieter Moebius. At least this track has the same type of quirkiness to it and the textures are a bit similar too. I found it interesting how the piece seemingly decays towards the end, the sequences becoming more distorted, dirty and hallucinating.

"Cat In the Blender" has perhaps the catchiest groove of them all. I can't help but nod to the rhythm while listening to this. It has nice resonance-laden melodic higher-register sequences as well. A pity that this track is so short (4+ minutes only).

We then get "Nightlife In Mars" that is more upbeat, with a galloping bass sequences and other pulsations possessing that strange, dirty experimental quality that make them sound pretty cold and alien. Sounds like Goa Trance played by the Max Rebo Band on a bad day.

"Arcade Times", naturally, brings in the cheese. If you like old computer games or are a fan of Chiptune, this is more or less the stuff you're after. However, apart from the bleepy sequences, you get pretty noisy resonating textures here that make the whole thing sound rather intense. It is the shortest track of the album.

"Mind Bender" weaves another net of electronic pulsations. This time, however, Gustavo goes for the total overkill, both in terms of the quantity of sequences and the overall intensity.

"Icecream Waves" is the only slow track here. In fact, it could be called "sequencer ambient" if you can imagine such a thing. This is probably the kind of stuff Cluster would have made back in 1976 in Forst, had they had access to sophisticated sequencer software.

"Inside the Machine" adopts a more asserting groove with some really strange background sequences, some of them even reminding on the cheesy sounds that Tomita used in the 1970's. However, the format is grand - this massive track leaves an impression of a Klaus Schulze gone completely sequencer-mad in his studio.

There are not enough albums out there relying solely on the sequences. And Gustavo Jobim's "Trapped In A Day Job" is an important statement and the proof that such artistic limitations can be ultimately rewarding when filtered through a creative mind of a musician. Recommended.
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