Patti Cudd

A recent release from Patti Cudd delivers a percussive world that surrounds you and gives off a cinematic backbone with a brilliant blending of vocal, electronic, and natural instrumentation that come together to create worldly sounds and atmospheres.

The Cyanotypes record takes subtle approaches to mending electronic and vocal textures into this unique soundscape, offering up something outside the box and refreshing while remaining true to the art of creating with percussion. 

The title track, "Cyanotypes" (Ellaine Illios), comes first. and gives off this wonderfully enveloping vibe with scattered electronic elements that give both depth in tone and a high-end, scattered elements and textures that are panned amazingly so that if you listen to this with headphones, you are surrounded by those elements. 

It certainly feels like the type of release you need headphones for. This is the best way to really swim through the record. Rubbing, clicking, and more all come within reach of one another. Eventually, beautiful melodies come in and start sweeping the song into a fantastical flow. 

"This bottle has notions" (Kerry Hagan) follows and gives a great set of tones as well. This also brings in some delayed and overlapping vocal cuts that come in and out and give the piece a different texture. 

All of these pieces are a little different but still hover under the umbrella of almost completely percussively built works. 

The use of electronic elements in the music can either be more subtle or give the music some backbone. Either way, the blend of acoustic and natural percussion with that electronic aesthetic is strangely breathtaking. 

"Chime" (Tiffany Skidmore) is a little wilder and more sporadic, with full snare drums to go along with those chiming and high-pitched ringing hits. It all works in a way that lets the instruments complement each other. 

"The Meeting Place" (Heather Dea Jennings) gives a great approach to using vocals in a rhythmic sense and starts building elements of world music in the mix. The track has a warm and psychedelic set of tones that gives a swirling sound. The track has such a way of washing you away with it all.

Many elements of percussion are still very evident and can be both slightly driving and effective in terms of giving the song that spacious and almost eerie feel. 

The closing track, "Tattoo of a Gesture" (Margaret Schedel), has a more spacious feel, leaving moments of long pauses or very soft, delicate sounds between bigger ones. Swelling comes in and out of this one, and you find yourself floating along with this unique piece of work. 

This track probably has the most percussion and tone meshing out of all of the pieces on the record. 

This record is one built on creating tones and sound sculpting to create those atmospheres and pull you into the world she has created. 

A bit droney, very experimental, and very engulfing, certainly dig into this release and do so again, with headphones, as I cannot express enough how it is beyond the best way to swim through this release. 

A brilliant use of tone building and experimentation with no boundaries makes this well worth listening to.

BANDCAMP

SPOTIFY

NEUMA RECORDS