A collaboration between Brian Case (of Disappears, Acteurs, and 90 Day Men) and Kranky labelmate Justin Walter, Bambi Kino Duo is an experiment in fluid, electronically manipulated, composed ambience. “Maximum Number”, from the Duo’s new album See Heat, is meditative but never static. Walter’s haunting electronic valve instrument (EVI)—basically a synth for trumpeters—blurs with Case’s highly processed guitar and keyboard to create a ghostly atmosphere. Visuals by conceptual photographer Maximilian Rossner of a subtly moving piece of fabric—with something, or someone, behind it—are, like “Maximum Number” itself, both calming and eerie, with a distinct sense of place and displacement. This is music that requires attention, layers finely meshing together rather than pulling at and away from one another; though we are used to quick sound bytes and easy answers in this big lake of information we live in, Case and Walter have created work that highlights the necessity of pausing every once in a while and the reward of patience only truly well-structured art can.
See Heat is available now on International Anthem.
