The first listen through the new album by Spanish producer Rubeck, entitled ‘Kaos’ left me with a real mix of feelings. At times it is odd and jarring, off-putting and slightly uncomfortable whereas at others it is beautiful, melodic, soaring and elegant.
It is this mix of opposing emotional responses that make the second, third and fourth listens through ever more interesting and enjoyable as the jarring sections soften and become a bit more expected, and the beauty and feeling within these creations shine through. Based in Paris, Rubeck creates/composes music that draws influence from electronic groups such as Moderat and Plaid, an amalgamation of tried and tested sounds, reminiscent of the late 90’s early 2000’s. Rubeck’s previous work, ‘The Incident’ (2014), earned critical acclaim from the likes of NME, and having listened through sections of his back catalogue I found ‘Kaos’ to be a much more accomplished body of work with more depth, feeling and coherency throughout.
On balance this album will definitely not be for everyone. Sonically the sounds sometimes feel a little over simplified and lacking the warmth and honesty that you get from real instrumentation. I also feel that the darkness and oddness in certain areas may be off putting to some people but existing fans of Rubeck and this musical style will definitely enjoy what this album has to offer. The best thing about music regardless of genre, style and instrumentation is how it makes you feel, personally I think that music should challenge the listener, challenge them to think and challenge them to feel and ‘Kaos’ definitely ticks that box for me.
