Much like – let’s say – duck à l’orange, the constituents of Luo’s sound, on paper, haven’t, at first glance, ever appeared too likely to mingle well. Thick, hazy electronica and tumbling, wonky prog leanings; a bird and a citrus fruit? Neither part feels instantly plausible to mesh without prompting some discord however, as contemporaries such as Three Trapped Tigers and Gallops consistently prove (as regards the music, not the cuisine), the two can make for comfy bedfellows.
‘Testament’, Luo’s first single post- reincarnation as a duo, too affirms this excellently; all coiled across an explorative, snaking structure, syncopated melodic lines and creative, driving drum work scurry amiably amongst dense fogs of luminous synth and furtive spasms of industrial noise – a gorgeous, seamless synthesis of both backgrounds. And, though never claustrophobic to its detriment, that denseness in the music feels the characteristic separating new Luo from the sparser, more introverted IDM dreamscapes of the group’s past, marking an exciting progression.
The track’s fierce groove is notable too, likely attributable to new member Barney Sage, flanking, long-term Luo helmsman and Brighton producer, Josh Trinnaman, the pair, both multi-instrumentalists, collaborating on the tracks’ production and composition work, Sage gracing the material on the kit also.
Luo have two upcoming shows, both with modular madman Inwards…
London – The Waiting Room – 7th November
Brighton – Green Door Store – 22nd Novemeber
Further details can be found on their Facebook page.