Who? Howes is the solo moniker of 22-year-old sonic voyager John Howes.
What? Melancholic electronics.
From where? Currently residing in Salford.
What’s the story? Howes seems set on bringing mystery and wonder back to electronic music via the medium of late eighties’ Eastern European synth technology.
Flying solo in his Salford flat with a stash of Cold War goodies, he’s cooking up a smorgasbord of experimental sonic delights to cleanse your tired palette.
His sparse sound roams around a misty hinterland of modulations and distant beats, enveloping your ears in a welcoming woozy warmth.
Having graduated from the lean house of his debut 2013 EP, his first album 3.5 Degrees (out 22 January through Melodic) is the sound of an electronic producer quietly hitting his stride.
The set, which was mainly recorded live over a series of weekend sessions, is a far cry from the formulaics of grand design and purpose - its shifting form and unpredictability has more in tune with the live experiments of James Holden or the quieter, queerer ouvre of Aphex Twin.
It’s a sprawling, psychedelic set that uncoils in all directions as textures coalesce and disjoin around central rhythms.
Not content with focusing on his own stuff, Howes also helms his own cassette label, Cong Burn Waves.
With three releases now under its belt, the imprint is unearthing bleached-out techno from the four corners of the UK, with the likes of Lanark Artefax and Cong Burn Waves co-founder Haddon making recent notable contributions.
Sounds like? You could safely file Howes next to anything on Border Community.
Predicted to? Blow techno heads away with his modular-heavy live show.
Must hear? Overveen:
What? Melancholic electronics.
From where? Currently residing in Salford.
What’s the story? Howes seems set on bringing mystery and wonder back to electronic music via the medium of late eighties’ Eastern European synth technology.
Flying solo in his Salford flat with a stash of Cold War goodies, he’s cooking up a smorgasbord of experimental sonic delights to cleanse your tired palette.
His sparse sound roams around a misty hinterland of modulations and distant beats, enveloping your ears in a welcoming woozy warmth.
Having graduated from the lean house of his debut 2013 EP, his first album 3.5 Degrees (out 22 January through Melodic) is the sound of an electronic producer quietly hitting his stride.
The set, which was mainly recorded live over a series of weekend sessions, is a far cry from the formulaics of grand design and purpose - its shifting form and unpredictability has more in tune with the live experiments of James Holden or the quieter, queerer ouvre of Aphex Twin.
It’s a sprawling, psychedelic set that uncoils in all directions as textures coalesce and disjoin around central rhythms.
Not content with focusing on his own stuff, Howes also helms his own cassette label, Cong Burn Waves.
With three releases now under its belt, the imprint is unearthing bleached-out techno from the four corners of the UK, with the likes of Lanark Artefax and Cong Burn Waves co-founder Haddon making recent notable contributions.
Sounds like? You could safely file Howes next to anything on Border Community.
Predicted to? Blow techno heads away with his modular-heavy live show.
Must hear? Overveen:
