DISCREET CHARM OF AN IMPERFECT SYMMETRY (ELECTRONIC IMPROVISATION IN SEVEN MOVEMENTS)

Przemyslaw Rudz has been experimenting a bit lately -- teaming up with Wladyslaw Komendarek for the album Unexplored Secrets of REM Sleep, changing up his style to a more emotional and slightly ambient form on Paintings earlier in 2012, and now teaming up with a band of musicians for the improvisationally-conceived Discreet Charm Of An Imperfect Symmetry (Electronic Improvisation In Seven Movements), his second album of 2012.

"Movement 1" starts out, more or less, in a classic fashion. But something about the flow seems a bit looser than Rudz's previous albums, which is without a doubt an effect of the improvisational approach used on this album. It feels more like an actual dream, having no real structure behind it, but rather flowing from point A, to point B, and then to points Q and then K. As this dirge-like introduction pours through the speakers, a low rumbling synth gets warmer and warmer towards the end, prepping the listener for the remaining minutes and metaphorical "meat" of the album.

Seamlessly, "Movement 1" transforms into "Movement 2", and this is how each of the tracks transform into the next, to create the single hour-long electronic improvisation experience. "Movement 2" is where the album picks up some noticeable heat, from the hot pickups of an electric guitar playing psychedelic melodies reminiscent of the masterful David Gilmour. This guitar is intertwined with the propulsive electronic beats curated by the album artist, as well as crafting a compelling atmosphere on which the main focus of the music soars atop.

"Movement 3" is one of the most obviously improvisational tracks, consisting of nearly aimless and unsettling electronic noises coupled with beautiful ambient synth swelling, compacted into a formless stretch of aural bliss and confusion. "Movement 4" begins with the distant sound of space shuttle engines bursting with energy, shedding themselves of their icy crust which crashes to the cement below. This sound ebbs and flows from quiet to loud, ultimately climaxing to an extremely powerful blast near the end. The track is driven by clear bassy thumps that further convey a sense of power.

"Movement 5" takes the same warm, jet-fueled atmosphere and adds steady, hard-hitting drumming that conveys stars contracting and imploding and exploding as they see fit. It builds and builds until finally the atmosphere is enhanced by blasts of distorted guitar, intensely ringing out chords that sound hot and volatile, and the electronic element becomes more sporadic and technological, like the audio representation of satellites picking up distant readings. Still keeping the warm atmosphere from the previous few tracks, "Movement 6" starts the cool-down phase, where those space shuttle engines running out of fuel and the shuttle itself has begun to slowly drift aimlessly through space. The distant rumbling of old stars exploding still shake the mind and the satellites are still sending their readings, some of which are flung aimlessly into the unknown.

And finally, "Movement 7" ends the album in a dirge form similar to the album's opener, albeit higher in key. Again, it flows much like a dream -- smoothly, but unpredictably, and ultimately leading to an uncertain end. The soothing washes of spatial sounds cleanse the pallet, and the ending ambience leads this journey to a close.

Everything that Przemyslaw Rudz has released since his debut shows constant artistic growth and a desire to voice his own unique modern sound in a genre that some have considered to be outdated or too retro. Not many artists attempt this kind of cerebral exploration music anymore, unless in the tried-and-true classic fashion. Mr. Rudz putting his modern touch on this sound and creating compelling music for the open-minded is a display of artistic confidence and dedication that has never shown through as brightly as it does on Discreet Charm Of An Imperfect Symmetry (Electronic Improvisation In Seven Movements).