A man with single-minded intensity and passion for his craft, Karl Johan has been at the heart of the Scandinavian electronic music scene for a number of years. Both under his own name and latterly under his C9 production pseudonym, it is the latter moniker that Johan now presents his debut solo EP for Proton Music in the shape of "A1Txi".
A man with an impressive production portfolio in his arsenal, Johan's music has always been vital and relevant since early work for Plastik Park and Tribal Vision gave rise to a significant body of work for Spiral Trax including an eponymously titled album in 2009. A standout remix of Cid Inc.'s "Cloudberries" for Mango Alley in 2011 heralded another landmark in the career of Karl Johan as did further work for Lowbit Baroque and Iboga Records over the next two years. Cementing an already established reputation, luminary DJ support from Gareth Emery and Tocadisco to Nick Warren and Jamie Stevens, provided ample demonstration of the relevance of Karl Johan's sound.
Shifting away from his own name to focus efforts on his new C9 moniker reflected a subtle shift in emphasis and sound through his work. With a refreshing lack of pretension over standard track naming conventions, the C9 approach is fundamentally concerned with the way the music sounds where "people should listen without any potentially misleading information". Thus the C9 standard naming convention for his work sees six twin-track EPs over the course of 2014 lead now to a seventh as Johan follows up his C9 remix of Lonya's "Consensus Must" in March 2015 with "A1Txi" for Proton Music.
"A1T7i" opens with a strong house beat and percussive groove before a chorus of warm pads open up into an evocative sequence of piano chords that blend effortlessly with a sustained hypnotic arpeggio that sparkles in its simplicity. Evolving delicately over time, a ticking percussive shaker pattern becomes apparent before additional layers of airy vocal phrases and counterpoint melody augment proceedings with texture in abundance, building to a stunning denouement.
Partner track "A1T8i" provides a wondrous house vibe in its early movement as piano chords supply groove in copious amounts, backed by delicious percussion. A cleverly repeated string phrase and clave percussion ‘fill' provide a ‘sit up and take notice' moment while the delicate melodic themes so integral to "7i" are once again felt as "8i" reveals itself over an eleven minute odyssey of delightful adventure. Rising and falling with grace and poise, the C9 talent is in full evidence.
Two new tracks from the talented C9 illustrate precisely why it is the music that matters as "A1Txi" represents a growing evolution in the study of sound.
Directed by Jay Epoch
AandR by James Warren
Mastered by Cid Inc.
Design by Ben Mautner
Text by James Warren
A man with an impressive production portfolio in his arsenal, Johan's music has always been vital and relevant since early work for Plastik Park and Tribal Vision gave rise to a significant body of work for Spiral Trax including an eponymously titled album in 2009. A standout remix of Cid Inc.'s "Cloudberries" for Mango Alley in 2011 heralded another landmark in the career of Karl Johan as did further work for Lowbit Baroque and Iboga Records over the next two years. Cementing an already established reputation, luminary DJ support from Gareth Emery and Tocadisco to Nick Warren and Jamie Stevens, provided ample demonstration of the relevance of Karl Johan's sound.
Shifting away from his own name to focus efforts on his new C9 moniker reflected a subtle shift in emphasis and sound through his work. With a refreshing lack of pretension over standard track naming conventions, the C9 approach is fundamentally concerned with the way the music sounds where "people should listen without any potentially misleading information". Thus the C9 standard naming convention for his work sees six twin-track EPs over the course of 2014 lead now to a seventh as Johan follows up his C9 remix of Lonya's "Consensus Must" in March 2015 with "A1Txi" for Proton Music.
"A1T7i" opens with a strong house beat and percussive groove before a chorus of warm pads open up into an evocative sequence of piano chords that blend effortlessly with a sustained hypnotic arpeggio that sparkles in its simplicity. Evolving delicately over time, a ticking percussive shaker pattern becomes apparent before additional layers of airy vocal phrases and counterpoint melody augment proceedings with texture in abundance, building to a stunning denouement.
Partner track "A1T8i" provides a wondrous house vibe in its early movement as piano chords supply groove in copious amounts, backed by delicious percussion. A cleverly repeated string phrase and clave percussion ‘fill' provide a ‘sit up and take notice' moment while the delicate melodic themes so integral to "7i" are once again felt as "8i" reveals itself over an eleven minute odyssey of delightful adventure. Rising and falling with grace and poise, the C9 talent is in full evidence.
Two new tracks from the talented C9 illustrate precisely why it is the music that matters as "A1Txi" represents a growing evolution in the study of sound.
Directed by Jay Epoch
AandR by James Warren
Mastered by Cid Inc.
Design by Ben Mautner
Text by James Warren
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