Seen

International Observer are a local two man outfit, made up of Tom Bailey (ex-Thompson Twins) and Rakai. They formed this project in the late nineties and 'Seen' is their full-length debut. Up till now, they have only hinted at their greatness with a series of remixes, compilation cuts and stunning live performances.

Think refined downbeat material that exhibits a suitably dub-like feel to the grooves (a little like Bill Laswell in fact). There are plenty of tastefully applied delays and echo effects on the drums whilst low-end bass ostinatos hold everything together in a near Zen like manner. Sailing serenely over the top of this is all manner of soothing sounds, chiming away amidst elegant samples.

'Seen' is subdued, yet contains many beautiful melodies to pull you into the transcendent arranging skills that have been applied to these 9 chill-out gems. A superb production job tops off one of the best electronica debuts this country has seen for some time.