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Cushion Caroms: "Cushionism"
From Cushion Caroms (White Label; 2009)

It was only a matter of time before the praise heaped upon City Centre Offices began to take a binding effect—the plucky German imprint boasts some of the most luminous electronica on the planet, with the likes of Ulrich Schnauss and I’m Not A Gun both blossoming under their steerage. Perhaps in light of worldwide empty registers, two further acts now carry a union card—Takeshi Nishimoto and Hendrik Kroez—with Argentina’s Andrés Jankowski making the numbers up for Cushion Caroms: an electroacoustic supergroup that takes its name from a prehistoric form of billiards. Like Fast Eddie Felson with a trunk full of samplers, the trio traverse the fringe genres as if they were pool halls, each member given a personalised trilby with which to pull off his signature stunt shot (and hopefully hypnotize the thumb-breakers).

On this taster for their forthcoming debut, it’s easy to spot Kroez’s (aka Miwon’s) tactics from the outset, with the dreamy ticking and palette of reverb recalling “Lillilullaby” from A To B. The burbling keyboards of Mr. Jankowski add to what fast becomes a touchpool of Berlin minimalism, Nishimoto’s acoustic guitar licks darting to and fro like baby neons. The result: a five minute tablet of speckled ambient that holds up to secondary scrutiny, a whiff of potential alchemy in its wake. The three amigos who master this field know how to mine hypnopompia, and “Cushionism”‘s calm speed and casual lapping mean it’s born for those early morning shorelines. Let’s see if their next attempt can get you wading out into the surf.

George Bass | 03/02/2009 |                

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