Nuell Martin: “Operation Bifrost” – conceptual electronics with a flawless production
Nuell Martin is an artist and performer currently based in Spain. A composer who likes to create conceptual music, Martin’s style blurs the lines between ambient and experimental music. Combining suggestive melodies with storytelling and music that transports the listener through various moods and emotions, Martin states: “I try to write songs that make people think, and inspire them to ponder some of the deepest questions in life.” Nuell Martin’s latest project is the 5 track album “Operation Bifrost” which tells the story “about new technologies and old sins”. This will take you to places you simply could not reach without it. At once ethereal, other-worldly, inspiring, and majestic. Some songs seem to slowly gather energy and momentum, others immediately pulse like spinning quasars pumping out mysterious messages of enormous power and unstoppable force.
Transcendent. Dynamic. Evocative. Instrumental music like “Operation Bifrost” is beguiling because it allows each listener to construct their own personal narrative based on the composer’s intended story-line. Each one will build their own imagery and experience the appropriate emotions.
If you are looking for a journey in sound, then you are on the right track – from the opening composition, “Stealing The Secret”, Nuell Martin hooks you, and lures you in with a thumping drumline, rolling basslines and rich piano and synths motifs, designed to mesmerize.
I cannot say enough about how intriguing, engaging, and beautiful these tracks are. As we move into “Monegros”, the tempo drops slightly, but the plot, and atmosphere thickens. The mellower rumble of the bass resonates even deeper as the synths twist, buzz and tweak.
The pulsating underbelly of the song growing in intensity towards a climactic resolution. It is very structural and adheres to rhythm throughout. It takes a special record to be inspirational. And it takes more than just talent to make inspired music in an electronic music world full of white noise.
“Jailed” goes another step forward, towards proving that “Operation Bifrost” is that record, and Nuell Martin is more than that talent. Atmospheric and hypnotically rhythmic, the track oscillates within an almost minimalist framework of repetitive motifs trapped in a timeline.
Slowly but steadily a subtle melody starts breaking through to the surface as the song progresses to its conclusion. The music seems to perfectly encapsulate the suggestion of the song title. It is a statement of inspired finesse and transcendence to the realm of reality.
Nuell Martin’s production style is defined by a veil of reverberating bass that more often than not, is excitingly punctured by addictive synth riffs. He also structures rhythms that vividly ascend you to a world unknown. Something he does to perfection on “The Gift”.
The music reaches this world through a portal all its own, as Martin pairs his ambient washes with a knack for beats and melodies that stick with you. More suspenseful, the closing track, “Betrayed”, delivers an ominous soundscape awash with fluttering synths, a resonating piano and a steady drumbeat. This is easily the best track on the album, for me.
Ultimately, Nuell Martin’s use of layers makes this a truly intriguing listen for any ambient or instrumental fan. He keeps the theme of the album intact throughout, while varying the songs enough to keep the listener interested.
Martin also has movements within each song building up anticipation and then hypnotizing the listener to great effect. He knows when to give instruments space and when to layer in the density. Whether it’s delicate, textural playing, or a pulsating backbeat, Nuell Martin’s production is always flawless.
OFFICIAL LINKS: TWITTER – BANDCAMP – SOUNDCLOUD – YOUTUBE
