Unpublished Adapter review by Joe Mygan
The ever-prolific Joe Bastardo returns to Japan's birdFriend label
with his Bastian Void project after previously releasing a split tape
on birdFriend with H. Takahashi. Bastardo's layered clouds of frenetic
synthesizer patches on his newest album Adapter, push his Bastian Void
project to distant realms of sonic exploration.
Melting together heavily tectonic synth and heart-pounding syncopated
rhythms, Bastian Void's keen understanding of synthesis is evident
throughout this album. “Garden Level” slowly splatters a tangled web
of synth arpeggios while a percussive workout rattles around the inner
cavities of your skull. “Pineline (Void Mix)”, an ominous drone
sound-scape evokes a feeling of floating between realms of
consciousness. The vibrantly shimmering synthesizer tones on “Surface
Level” leave subtle imprints within your nervous system.
Christopher Konopka lends his cerebral video skills to “Garden Level”.
A wizard of mind-melting video synthesis, Konopka layers strobing
feedback washes atop cascading waves of voltage bent colors. Konopka's
visuals permeate beyond your retina, leaving a deep imprint on your
brain. Psychedelic tapestries of currents bent in all directions.
Each track on Adapter has a life of its own. Situated between flowing
voltages and arrays of binary, Bastian Void digs deeply into these
electronic music technologies. These frequencies combine and collide,
stretching your mind and setting you adrift.
