SEGUE

PACIFICA – SILENT SEASON CANADA

Having taken the less beaten path of moving to Edmonton from Vancouver Jordan Sauer a.k.a. Segue brings with him an auditory souvenir from the west coast – his fourth album Pacifica.

Pacifica’s arrestingly agrestal flow and tranquil expanse serve to still the mind, taking us on an aurally induced synesthesiatic nature hike through the Pacific Northwest.  Considering the vast landscape of the region Sauer cultivates inspiration from, he expertly hybridizes live samples and minimal techno roots and spurs the sound to grow around a thematic backdrop.

While minimal techno is not a genre typically associated with warmth, Pacifica’s melodies radiate through nuanced textures like a west coast sun reaching through a misty forest canopy.  Field-recordings Sauer has captured in nature are released into Pacifica’s sonic atmosphere where they patiently swell, stretch out and glide above a smattering pulse of tastefully crafted beats.

“Westcoast Trail” slowly opens the album with an airy wisp as a warm pad laps like a lazy wave along the shore of a deeper drone and minimalistic bedrock beat.  “Parchment” hits a more solidly dub stride where reverb-treated synth stabs ripple out from a shuffled 4/4 beat.  The pace of “Parchment” segues well into the faint tribal sounds skittering faintly throughout following track “Snow Dub”.  In the second-last track, “Ocean” a grainy sample swirls dissonantly, bearing a fitting similarity to Boards of Canada.  Reaching the end, “Vapour Trails” finishes the album in a somnambulant mist.

Sauer’s production skills deliver a thoughtfully subtle, yet expansive sonic landscape.  Think of this LP as an auditory koan, or like the relief of going outside after having burned out your retinas looking at your billionth LCD screen. Let Pacifica’s serene approach to lead you out of the city for its duration and put your mind in a more natural state.

Following a now sold-out run of 300 CDs and unavailable legitimately online, Pacifica is available for order as a double vinyl LP via Silent Season.

By Levi Manchak