The nebulous Dutch producer delivers a fifth LP rich in cinematic texture and wide on electronic influence.
Carving out a distinctive identity in electronic music is no mean feat. Chiselling it further into a singular voice is all the more impressive. It might seem as though we’ve reached a point at which such a pursuit is effectively futile, yet there are a handful of committed producers who seem particularly gifted at finding a way to manufacture elegant sounds which feel both borrowed and original simultaneously.
In the case of nthng, AKA Jurriaan Terpstra, his studio output was often not club-ready material but something else, sitting at the metaphorical fringes of the dance music nucleus; cinematic in its execution and ornate in its textures. After emerging on the scene in the mid-2010’s, he built a reputation as a formidable techno prospect with his early releases on the now defunct Lobster Theremin. At a time when a wave of lo-fi house producers were swarming the Soundcloud scene, Terpstra’s brand of melancholic techno cut through, offering something different. Enormous reverb kick drums and artwork showcasing lonesome, shadowy figures became a familiar sight on Youtube thumbnails.
The decision to maintain a mysterious, shadowy persona may be a privacy decision, but certainly feels apt regardless given the sonic disposition of his music. After a few more well received releases he found a home on deep techno label mainstay Delsin, seemingly a perfect counterpart for his reflective and melancholic take on the genre. On his fifth LP, there is a wider array of influences present as he merges his familiar deep techno sound with an exploration of IDM, breakbeat and dub through the same lens of deep-set nostalgia.
The LP deploys a heavy emphasis on balearic dreaminess; across ten tracks, the album floats seamlessly in between genres with a porous delicacy. This reverie inducing sound is punctuated by classic house vocal samples and choral passages which conjure up hazy images of an obscured sunrise (or sunset, depending on your preference). The range of influences can be easily discerned throughout; AM (Sleeper) melds reverb-laden breaks with soft ambience in a style reminiscent of Synkro, whereas Ghostlike Dreams is more a nod to the classic liquid drum & bass of LTJ Bukem.
It is the most restrained tracks, however, which stand out the most. Both Wandering and Orchid showcase stripped back percussives, giving room to the vast spaces in between the ambient arrangements. This has always been one of nthng’s biggest strengths; his compositions feel as if they exist within a great expanse, wherein a lonesome protagonist searches for others. Being able to achieve such a feat where interpretation and meaning are not directed by any prescribed authority is admirable, and something which the Dutch producer seems repeatedly capable of.
At a time when dance music is becoming increasingly commercialised, individual vision and commitment to sculpting something both personal and ambitious is more important than ever. But being able to do both, and execute them with a level of musicianship that other artists would envy, is all the more impressive. Last Light of the Sun succeeds as a radiant personification of all three.
