Amongst the most notable of veteran acts across the electronic music circuit, Emancipator consistently stands out from the pack. Fourteen years on, and 6 full length LPs later, their vision is as grandiose as their compositions, stretching across a vast swath of ideas, narratives, tempos, and atmospheres. Fully tapped into the sounds of tranquility, their latest release continues to fill out the Emancipator discography with silky cuts and orchestral arrangements, reminding us that impact isn't just relegated to sheer force; Mountain of Memory is an exploratory evolution of Emancipator's personal style and sound.

From Soon It Will Be Cold Enough, to Dusk to Dawn, to Baralku, the Emancipator experience has been marked by an ongoing journey across the cooler hues of musical emotivity. Each album has a distinct coloration to it's sonic design, and sifting through their catalog often feels closer to walking through a thematic art gallery; each piece follows an overarching scheme, but diverges in content and character. Mountain of Memory reimagines those sometimes disparate elements in tonally smooth synchronization. The line between organic and synthetic tambres blurs as the album rolls on, merging the varied stylistic directions of their music.

Opening the album with a potent seance, "Alligator" hones in on the distinctly organic side to Emancipator's productions. Dusted percussion falls back on itself in a swayed arrangement, following choice interjections of flutes and vibrato guitar lines. As the composition evolves, the mounting layers of texture sum to a cascade of emotions, with rising and falling harmonies and violin riffs crossing over one another like a meticulous wreath.

The album closer, "Himalaya", bridges the gap of Emancipator's conventional and unconventional tones. The bends and inflections of sub bass follow interspersed shots of violins and shuffling hi-hats. It's a primal sort of rhythm and melody, instinctively pulling the attention deeper and deeper to the center of the mix. "Himalaya" caps off Mountain of Memory like the frost-tipped peaks of its namesake mountain range, bringing a tonally smooth, effervescent finality to the LP.

As contemporary electronic music continues it's journey of maturity and development, Emancipator gives validity to the power and impression possible by combining electronic production and classic instrumentation. Their patented blend reaches far beyond cutting and slicing samples and taking advantage of happy accidents, with every subsequent release oozing top tier compositional craftsmanship. Without missing so much as a beat, Emancipator has upped their own ante with the unveiling of Mountain of Memory, and continues to provide fans new and old alike with long moments of reprieve in a world of perpetual motion.

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