Live Review: Get lost in the labyrinth that is MUTO's new single, 'Tessellating'

Sydney producer MUTO is following up his breakout 2017 single, ‘Say Nothing’, by sharing the first taste of his just-finished seven-track EP in the form of new single, ‘Tessellating’, ahead of his debut Splendour in the Grass performance. Featuring the gracefully slinky vocals of OLIVER DIBLEY from Sydney five-piece BORNEO, ‘Tessellating’ is a stylish cut that lies somewhere between the tender, low-key organic electronica of FOUR TET and the soul-inflected EDM of some of FLUME’S more gentler moments.

MUTO weaves together a tight composition that nimbly moves between flurries of gently mutating synths and rushes of clacking percussion as it contorts across tempos. Up close, the warped soundscape looks disjointed and discordant, but from afar the track reveals itself a sonic tessellation, a labyrinthine arrangement of repeating patterns, colours and geometry that coheres to a wonderfully alive whole, presenting MUTO at his most forward and immediately accessible. It’s a remarkable display of artistic control from the Sydney producer.

Just as impressive is how Dibley manages to find the spaces in between MUTO’s tightly constructed tessellation, his lithe vocals slenderly filling out the pockets between choppy, cascading synths. Or maybe it’s more that the producer treats Dibley’s vocals as yet another shape to piece together in his tessellation, utilising his voice as another instrumental layer to drop in and out of the composition as a mark of the collaborative energy between the pair.

‘Tessellating’ is the first single off MUTO’s debut EP, which will be out July 6th via Of Leisure

WORDS BY KYLE FENSOM

IMAGE: Supplied

LISTEN TO MORE NEW TRACKS HERE

SEE MORE:

MUTO TALKS BEGINNINGS, BREAKS AND HIS NEW EP BEFORE RIDING THE WAVE

'SAY NOTHING' AND LISTEN TO MUTO'S NEW TRACK WITH EMERSON LEIF

ARTISTS TO WATCH IN 2017: MUTO