22-year-olds aren’t meant to be this sonically adventurous. John Howes is a producer with a limited interest in mimicking the great and good of contemporary electronic music, a belief resolutely reflected on his debut album.
Preferring modular synths to digital convenience, Howes recorded to cassette and then rebuffed the allure of overdubs, leaving the final tracks raw and deliberately imperfect.
Yes, the inexorable influence of various Warp alumni inhabits the album’s DNA – pioneering English experimental musician Delia Derbyshire is another noted influence – but his sound defies easy categorisation.
The anxious pulses on Zeroset provide a stark impression of an insomniac's skittish mind. Even the relatively upbeat, head-down Overveen is akin to a party in a library.
Dark and immersive, add 3.5 Degrees to your witching hour playlist.
