Exotica is one of the most recents projects involving the talented Gregor Dick of Hyper Reel, Bela and the Lugosis and a host of others. I mention those two projects in particular to give a feel for the range of musical genres and styles he can lend his hand to, Sleep and Release is an entirely different prospect to the early 80s post punk of Hyper Reel or the Goth Glam of Bela.
Gregor is the brainchild of Exotica which also features the talents of trumpet player Ali Henry and producer Samual Joseph Smith. The four tracks on offer on this musical trip, and I say that with both meanings in mind, Sleep and Release is a sonic odyssey, one in which the textured woozy soundscapes take you to another plain, the aural equivalent of mind expanding drugs..
These instrumentals are the equivalent of movies being filmed in Cinescope, and despite having no lyrics, the music has the ability to transport you to another place and time, where your mind creates its own up your own stories based on the music that goes with it, take Gaucho as an example, the music perfectly matching the title as I’m taken to a South American cowboy movie directed by an unconventional partnership of Sergio Leone and Quentin Tarantino.
The core of the music is the jazz, with luxuriant bass lines and louche smoky jazz lounge drumming, at times giving a slowed down funky drummer-esque beats, to complement it, opening track Exotica adds some sultry guitar lines. Perhaps its the jet engine at the start and the songs title that set the imagination going, but the pictures in my head during this are of grainy 70s filmed footage of exotic beach holidays that at the time felt unattainable, a mere pipe dream.
In the post Christmas depth of winter, lose yourself just for a while as you indulge in the cool vibes of Sleep & Release.