Some say creativity reaches unimaginable peaks when driven or enhanced by such endeavours as taking psychedelic drugs. Historically there have been a number of projects renowned for that hallucinogenic process, but they’re admittedly few and far between.
In this case, rather than a personality essential, producer LIQUID NFUZION embarked upon a deliberate creative experiment, intent on recording a brand new project from scratch, in a single day, whilst tripping on 4 tabs of acid.
The EP 476BZ was born of that process, crafted alongside a loved one, and backed by inspiration from the Snow Piercer movie – the idea of ‘rolling at high speed, through a strange world’ – as well as a multitude of personal difficulties from NFUZION’s own life. The results are expectedly nuanced, multi-layered and ever-changing, but also beautifully immersive and engaging. The music embraces us as listeners, almost in the way that these psychedelics likely embraced the producer, and so, the experience is about as effectively shared and transferred as possible, under the circumstances.
We begin with a lightness, ethereal tones immersing us, with a distant DnB rhythm and meandering bass warping the format just slightly as things progress. 476BEXCURSION is something of an old-school garage vibe, fragmented vocals and moments altering a smooth arrangement just modestly – a scratch DJ at play, but the music holding close to its gentle pace and presence underneath.
The energy is similar throughout FL3X+STR3TCH, perhaps a little more retro-gamer-like, before an industrial tumbling rhythm adds a sense of quickness in the middle.
After this, retro takes precedence, with haunting keys and muffled bass creating a mildly chaotic creative pulse that’s incredibly distinct. The trip is approaching something of an other-worldly crescendo, perhaps, and the rising anticipation and underwater haze of track 4 takes that further still. Here we get a unique balancing or juxtaposition at work, an ambient wave of comfort countered by manic hi-hats and skewed moments of siren-like urgency.
Finally, from the unedited helm of this creatively free day, 0N 7HE C4SE! wraps things up with a jazz-café calm and chaos combined, another brief but complex multi-layered array of moments, and another beautifully enjoyable instrumental piece.
Whatever the circumstances that made it, the music of 476BZ is timeless, professionally mastered, and effectively in tune with what’s required for an audio experience to let the listener truly escape and free themselves from the world temporarily. It’s a pleasure to listen through, both calming and energising, depending on what you need from it, and it marks a lasting introduction to the skill and conviction of NFUZION.
Find LIQUID NFUZION on X & Bandcamp.
