Peverelist - Jarvik Mindstate

PEVERELIST - JARVIK MINDSTATE

Punch Drunk

With a musical heritage to rival that of other cities in the UK, it is probably no surprise that dubstep has embedded itself among Bristol’s disparate scenes, finding a receptive home in which to grow and evolve. One recent output is ‘Jarvik Mindstate’,  a title that has been taken from the scientist Robert Jarvik who was a key figure behind the world’s first ever artificial heart. This title along with many of the tracks by Tom Ford, aka Peveralist, was inspired by ideas about the integration of technology and human life. It is his debut album, adding to an impressive workload of not only managing a record shop (Rooted Records) but also running a record label (Punch Drunk). 

Beginning with the atmospheric ‘Esperanto’, this opening track gradually builds to a crescendo of beats and breaks before easing into the menace of ‘Revival’. This takes the album down a notch to a more straightforward dubby vibe. ‘Bluez’ takes on a similar refrain, with winding rhythmic patterns interspersed with atmospheric, ambient soundscapes. In keeping with the overarching album concept, the organic dub beats mesh nicely with playful mechanistic sounds along with the underlying ambience. The title track, ‘Jarvik Mindstate’, keeps up a high-tempo minimal, electronic vibe while somehow sounding dubby, reminding this reviewer of work released by Scape. ‘Yesterday I Saw the Future’ perhaps showcases Peverelist best:  mid-tempo, clattering beats; odd squelchy synth; and dubby bass. 

‘Infinity is Now’ is a track that was previously released as a single. Starting slowly it builds into a dancefloor number, more so than most of the other tracks on the album. Funky dub rhythms are punctuated by experimental electronic sounds and a mood of ambience hence giving it an unpredictable air. ‘Not Yet Further Than’ and ‘Valves’ tread a similar path, one not too dissimilar to some of Kit Clayton’s work but without the glitch. ‘Clunk Click Every Trip’ is another Peverelist anthem, which nicely combines his clean, minimalist dub sound with waves of electronic ambience. While I wonder if it is perhaps sometimes a bit too clean, this is, all-in-all, a well-executed debut album and possibly one to check out live.  

Charlie Palmer