Name: Caramel
Brand: Konx-om-pax

Bonus disc

Bonus disc: No

Catalogue number

ziq348cd

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Colour

Colour details

Discogs ID

Format multiplier

Download code

Download code: No

Rough Trade Exclusive

Rough Trade Exclusive: No

Extended format

Extended format: No

Format detail

Format Music GB

Limited edition

Release date

2016-07-08

Signed copies

Signed copies: No

Supplier GB

Cargo

Tax rate GB

UPC / Barcode

5055300385765

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Total Cap

1 / CD / Extended format: No / Rough Trade Exclusive: No / Signed copies: No

Artist

Konx-om-pax

Genre GB

Electronic

Label GB

Planet Mu

<p>Planet Mu is an independent music label that was founded in 1995 by Mike Paradinas. Originally starting as an imprint on Virgin, the label was created to release music from artists like µ-Ziq and others who shared a similar style. However, due to Virgin's lack of success in marketing this type of music, Mike Paradinas decided to establish Planet Mu as an independent label in 1998. It is at this point that the catalog numbers for releases under the name *ZIQ* began.</p>

Tom 'Konx-om-Pax' Scholefield's Caramel is quite a different record from the dark, mould-pocked ambience of his debut 'Regional Surrealism'. Although it's primarily a beatless album, it's one with a big smile on it's face.Scholefield started making 'Caramel' after his last record in 2012, "My surroundings have a direct influence on the mood of what I make. I made Regional Surrealism when I was living in a big empty flat on my own in Glasgow town centre surrounded by concrete and junkies. Moving next to the park, closer to friends and getting to tour the world had a positive effect on the feel of the tracks." 'Caramel' has a lightness and energy, an unrepentant joyful cheesiness even - like the rave piano and spiralling arpeggios of 'Cosmic Trigger' or the big beatless build up of the title track. "A lot of the tracks are very simple, that's quite an important theme."  He adds "I remember the Human League talk about how you can play their songs using only a couple of fingers on the synth, or Boards Of Canada saying its important to be able to hum their melodies really easily." There's also a strong element of rave memory in this ambience. It's influenced in some ways by touring the world with Lone doing visuals and DJing, but also from simply listening to old rave tapes and taking in the warmth and energy. As he says "Some of the tracks are like photocopies of photocopies of rave tracks, where the drums have dissolved and its just the melodies that have survived." You can hear this distinctly on 'Perc Rave'. Other tracks are more or less drones that build into melodies, like 'Beatrice's Visit', as he says "I'm always trying to find the most ecstatic and basic loop and just let it run and do it's thing. I heard a funny story about Basic Channel popping out to get a kebab and letting their machines run while they were out." Other tracks approach the pastoral melodies of prime nineties IDM such as 'At The Lake' and 'Rainbow Bounce' which almost seem like a homage to Planet Mu's Mike Paradinas at his most beatific. Dive in.

Caramel

Music GB