Levon Vincent is best known to us for his peerless run of dread-fuelled techno on Novel Sound. It comes as a surprise, then, when the first couple of notes of the opening track of his debut album, ‘The Beginning‘, bring to mind the synth riff from Eurythmics’ ‘Sweet Dreams‘; this continues with ‘Phantom Power‘, a subtle melody-driven track with all the weight filtered out of the kick. What is going on?
In truth, Levon has always been a uniquely varied producer. ‘Man or Mistress‘ and ‘Late Night Jam‘ might have had the most plays in Berghain, but the more tender ‘No Regrets‘ and ‘Pivotal Moments In Life‘ have shown that, when Levon wants to go for the emotional jugular, he is even more effective. Now with a long-player to explore, we see new facets of Levon’s musical personality.
‘Launch Ramp to tha Sky‘ shows his skill for creating long tracks out of very little, the supposedly simple wood block melody going through every possible permutation without ever losing momentum, helped along with a hefty dose of Levon’s peerless background atmospherics. ‘For Mona, My Beloved Cat‘ is even better: a beautiful, swirling collection of sound held together by just a thin high hat. ‘Her Light Goes Through Everything‘ retains the bass heavy chug of ‘Polar Bear Make Nice…‘, but dials back the intensity and adds a subtly textured synthesiser that paints light and shadows all over the rest of the mix. It isn’t something you’d play at peak time, but it is absolutely beguiling.
When Levon does want to produce something for the dancefloor he still surpasses all. Pre-release giveaway ‘Anti Corporate Music‘, ‘Woman Is An Angel‘ and ‘Junkies On Hermann Street‘ all have the ability to melt dancefloors, but Vincent approaches each one in a totally different way, which all beat ‘Man or Mistress’ at its own game. The album shows Levon at the height of his powers. He is one of the most singular and recognisable voices in techno music today, and the fact that he can produce such a coherent and flowing album is proof that he’s going to be one of the most enduring.
Levon Vincent LP is out now on Novel Sound
