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coverpic flag England - Full Moon 243 - 06/20/16

Roger Goula
Awe
Cognitive Shift Recordings

Roger Goula is the first artist out on the new label Cognitive Shift Recordings, which is an imprint of the One Little Indian Records label in collaboration with Manners McDade Music Publishing. Cognitive Shift is said to be the home for 'contemporary classical music', and the label wants to 'bridge the gap between modern classical and electronic music'.

London based musician, composer (theatre, short and documentary films) and DJ Goula has a background in classical and jazz guitar, but he has shifted towards the contemporary path. "Awe" is a slow floating track sneaking up on you. The track makes me at times think of a God Speed You Black Emperor! if conducted by Philip Glass. "Awe" builds perfectly both in tension and intensity, but the song never turns into a brute noise beast (like GYBE! tend to). Instead, "Raw" keeps inside the classical barrier, leaning on its fine strings (by the string quartet of Thomas Gould, Peter Gregson, Lucy Railton and Stephen Upshaw) which circle the song's melodic theme. "Awe" is an exciting track, spinning and building for almost nine minutes. Its structure and upward spiral reveals nice emotions and manage to unveil a perfect climax keeping/leaving us in suspense. This track makes me think of film music for sure. The cinematic vibe is indeed present.

"Awe" also holds an accompanying remix from the Bristol-based producer, electronic artist, DJ and multi-instrumentalist Phaeleh (a.k.a. Matt Preston). This remix is a bit shorter, presenting a soft, chilled electronic beat making "Awe" and "Awe (Phaeleh remix)" a nice pair. This is for sure a nice teaser for Goula's upcoming album, Overview Effect. As the saying goes: Stay tuned.

PS! "Awe" was released on April 29. Overview Effect is due in September.

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You may also want to check out our Roger Goula article/review: Overview Effect.

© 2016 Luna Kafé