Sometimes records go a long way to reach you. This one was mostly recorded in Derry, Northern Ireland, with a few extra bits in Geurande, France. I know not how, but it was picked up by the LA-based Leaving Records, who specialised in cassette-only releases. They in turn have now done a distribution deal with Stones Throw, who put this out on their Drip.fm subscription service, which is how I came to hear it.
There's a blurry, fuzzy, analogue warmth to the record - it sounds a bit like a mixtape that was made 20 or so years ago and that has played so much that the tape's started to wear away. Parts of it are woozy and wobbling, other bits are repetitive and rhythmic, and it somehow manages to sound like late '80s house and the soundtrack to the future as imagined by the BBC show Tomorrow's World. It's definitely a bit hypnotic, drawing you in to a trance-like state as you sink into The Cyclist's unique take on the world of electronic music.
Andrew Morrison (who is The Cyclist) has described his music as "an attempt to get to a time in electronic music where everything sounds warmer" - you can listen to a couple of tracks from the album and see if you think he's succeeded. For my money he's certainly managed to knock some of the sharp edges off the music, and in doing so he's created an album that's well worth listening to.
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