Mike Majkowski - Coast

Hands in the Dark affiliate, Fragments Editions, debuted back in 2020 with an excellent collection by Australian composer, Mike Majkowski, and it's to him whom they return for Coast, the label's third release. Majkowski's principle means of expression is the double bass, and while there's a steady bass-y throb throughout much of Coast, it's generally pretty far removed from most common associations with that instrument. Instead we get two long form pieces of crepuscular electronics which pulse and glide with a similar minimalist elan to our much loved Civilistjävel! and, strangely enough given where this comes from, the distinctly European chic of the great Karl Lindh record on Low Company. Double bass is also a prominent feature on that Lindh LP, the rich sonority of which adds a human quality to otherwise coldly electronic pieces. Still, while the atmosphere created might be easily comparable, i'd say that Majkowski's compositions feel a touch denser than that record, building later on layer at a glacial pace, approximating a sense of a half-speed slide into the backrooms of the unending night. Edition of 300 or so.