Gonjasufi - A Sufi And A Killer

Over 20 years and still going, the creative juices still seem to be flowing for Warp, and their unrelenting passion for innovative acts shows no sign of abating. Their recent penchant for establishing non-electronic based artists has given their already impressive roster some breathing room; the considerably more conventional Maximo Park and Grizzly Bear created a much needed, albeit unexpected balance.

 

Incorporating the best of both worlds, self-styled ‘desert yogi’ Gonjasufi first lent his crooning, meditative tones to Flying Lotus’ ‘Testament’, one of the many highlights of his sophomore effort ‘Los Angeles’. But this soothing side of Sumach Ecks proves to be just one string in his bow, for the majority of ‘A Sufi And A Killer’ is a distinctly harsh affair. ‘Kobwebz’ kicks off proceedings with a fuzzy, psych-rock number underpinned by Gonjasufi’s grainy, distorted vocals. The raucous discordance of ‘SuzieQ’ and the yearning ‘She Gone’ follow this abrasive formula, but make no mistake – this purely intended, and Ecks revels in subjecting his listeners to this uncompromising approach. In a recent interview he stated that he wanted “to almost hurt the ear: to shock people with something raw, something hard, something that’s capable of cutting into the eardrum and scratching off the resin of that microchip filth”.

His coarse timbre makes way for an earthly rasp at times, and with this Ecks demonstrates his ability to seamlessly fit his voice into any environment. ‘Sheep’ adorns his cracked, tranquil delivery with a lilting blues guitar and middle-eastern vocals, and provides ‘A Sufi And A Killer’ with one of its many highlights.

Flying Lotus returns the favour with the sitar-featuring head-nodder ‘Ancestors’, whilst Mainframe provides some dreamy, electrified workings in the shape of ‘Candylane’ and’Holidays’. However, the strong, almost telepathic relationship between Gonjasufi and The Gaslamp Killer’s production proves to be the albums crowning glory, with GLK displaying an immense talent for crafting his obscure psyche samples into twisted beat collages.

At 19 tracks long, ‘A Sufi And A Killer’ can prove to be a stifling and somewhat incoherent record, with the rash segues between songs creating a rather disorientating effect. That said, Gonjasufi’s brilliantly idiosyncratic lyrics and gauzy timbre more than make up for this, and gifts listeners with a utterly beguiling and unique album.


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