Name: Slow Knife
Brand: Kuedo

Bonus disc

Bonus disc: No

Catalogue number

ziq380

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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

2016-10-14

Signed copies

Signed copies: No

Supplier GB

Cargo

Tax rate GB

Standard:20

UPC / Barcode

5055300385949

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Total Cap

2 / Extended format: No / LP / Rough Trade Exclusive: No / Signed copies: No

ziq380cd

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5055300385956

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

Artist

Kuedo

Genre GB

Electronic

Label GB

Planet Mu

Kuedo is an influential artist in the electronic music scene, known for his unique blend of futuristic sounds and cinematic atmospheres. Drawing inspiration from a wide range of genres including hip-hop, dubstep, and ambient music, *Kuedo* has created a distinct sonic universe that captivates listeners with its intricate textures and emotive melodies.

With a discography spanning over a decade, *Kuedo* has established himself as one of the leading figures in experimental electronic music. His innovative approach to production has earned him critical acclaim and a dedicated fanbase worldwide. Collaborating with renowned artists such as *Om Unit*, *Ital Tek*, and *Blawan*, he continues to push boundaries and redefine the possibilities of electronic music.

Listeners can expect to be transported into otherworldly realms when experiencing *Kuedo's* live performances. His captivating stage presence combined with his meticulous attention to detail creates an immersive audiovisual experience that leaves audiences mesmerized.

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.

It's been five years since his acclaimed debut 'Severant' and time has proved it prescient; its futuristic trap influence is now ubiquitous. 'Slow Knife' seems to return to where 'Severant' left off, but with the intricate sound design of last year's haunting EP 'Assertion Of A Surrounding Presence' subsumed into the compositions, making them more exacting and beautifully crafted. Between albums Kuedo has been working as a sound designer and composer for hire and the application of intent and widescreen rigour that commercial work requires has definitely found its way into the new album. 'Slow Knife' has the subtlety, ambition and pacing of a brilliant soundtrack - a sense of an album of scenes, that easily lends itself to an impressionistic narrative. But, as with 'Severant', the title suggests relationship unease, with the slow knife being a metaphor for the building resentment in any close relationship. 'Slow Knife' is almost two albums; the first half, according to Kuedo, invokes the seduction of the city, taking the music of Michael Mann's 'Manhunter' as a cue, with the latter half being inspired by the bloody starscapes and voodoo wilderness of films such as 'Angel Heart', 'Night Of The Hunter' and more recently the 'True Detective' series. Both halves of the album are also in thrall to Mica Levi's inspiring 'Under The Skin' soundtrack, especially in the turbulence of the mid-section. The songs of the albums first half are synthetic and seductive, a gelatinous veil with shades of the pseudo-sophisticated trance of Enigma, of all things, underpinned with dusky unsettling shadows and atmosphere. 'In Your Sleep', perhaps surprisingly, features the vocals of Hayden Thorpe from Wild Beasts, who settles his dark, whispered vocals into the moonlit shadowy atmosphere. 'Floating Forest' is the first track to allow back some of Kuedo's experimentation with the Southern rap template, which he explored before it became commonplace, with echoed drum splashes and a sinister repetitive motif, ending with a haunting growl. The second half of the album enters wilderness territory with 'Approaching's slow descending notes, before 'Broken Fox - Black Hole' throws the record into the cathartic darkness, as undulating chords play hide and seek with riotous reeds and scratchy strings grown from challenging collaborations with cello player Koenraad Ecker (from Lumisokea). 'Breaking The Surface' shivers and coils, before metal and strings dominate while 'In Your Skin' feels like being lost in a vast hinterland before 'Warmer Light' introduces some memories of sunshine, with its plucked bassline and spiralling dub. 'Halogen Light' opens with the sound of crickets and a clear piano, cleansing the soul before 'Lathe' brings things down to earth with a short, yet powerful coda.

Slow Knife

Music GB