DJ Alex Corton – Good Looking Records

Good Looking Records

Rantoul – Distant Constellations EP

2002

We now get to the remaining reviews in this series, entering into 16th of the sequence of Good Looking Records EP’s. Having these records with the gatefold sleeves makes for such a treasured collection. Together with the Earth releases and Cookin’ it brings an extra layer of meaning to many of the pieces of music. 

    Ian Rantoul is up with his second EP in the series, following his ‘Changing Landscapes’ EP on GLREP008V, from 2000. If you missed the review on that one, it’s on my blog posted below, which is compiled by catalogue number. Ian had been producing music for around 4 years by this time, having released on Good Looking, Looking Good, Nexus and of course the Ascendant Grooves label, which we are looking out for as a release through Okbron in the coming months. 

   The artwork for this release falls back into Nick Purser’s art studio, providing one of the most peaceful works in the series. The front cover holds a moment that views the expanse of sea and sky, while the inside gatefold sweeps that panoramic horizon into the 24 x 12 frame. Nick mentions, “Cover Pic was taken in Barbados from a helicopter ride and the second from a bluff overlooking a beach.” I love the number of figures in the picture that seem to be looking out, mirror imaging our own view. It’s one that you can’t put down! The rolling waves provide their own internal sound as they conjure up the atmosphere of the shot. 

   The back cover of this gatefold has a lot more going on. Space shuttle prints, and snapshots that I’m sure you can shed more light on Nick, and then at the bottom on the rear sleeve, that guy with a headset on? Or is it a wooden spoon? Ha ha! If you have the video mate, I’ll load it into the post and onto the blog too. I always love hearing your and Gareth’s background on the work. Respects. 

   ‘Luna’ is up first on Side A of this Rantoul EP. Rantoul had fine tuned his craft to a soaring standard and broken the seals of atmospheric splendor in a big way. The synth sounds in ‘Luna’ play a huge ode to Future Engineers in this track, spilling a galactic foray into the clamoring lobes of your brain. As beats go, it really lays a relaxed and flowing rhythmic simplicity, with nothing too outstanding, just a shuffling roller which helps support the faint pulses of the musical dreams that convex through your mind. If you’re after that cool-down, easy soother to float unobstructed into the heavens, you’ve found it here. 

   The mastering of this release is yet again, in the very expert hands of Shane McEnhill at MPO. The sound is as you’d expect is top notch.

   On Side B we have a title I’d love to know more about the background behind. The music on this immediately flips a switch inside my head and has me hooked. ‘Nersa’, opens up the gateway to voluminous pads, one of those exquisite Rantoul piano taps and a soulful, reverberating bass, keeping the brainwaves peaking and transitioning in the most harmonious and satisfying manner. The tracks on this plate alone, make the artwork connect the more you listen. Rolling, expansive and incredibly fulfilling. We strive at times in our world, for the release of so much stress, pain and confines that we sometimes need moments with tracks like this playing with the record sleeve in our hands, to remember that the beauty and relief is never really too far away from us. Music may not cure all our woes but it’s a bloody good drug in my world. 

   This release places Rantoul’s growth, creativity and bandwidth into the hall of fame of Good Looking Records in my books. There are a few artists I’d have loved to hear an album from on the label, he was without doubt one of them. 

    Big shout to Ian Rantoul. 

   My blog has all the EP’s so far, along with the Good Looking Records back catalogue (of those on my shelf, which is a fair few). I hope you get to dip into your favorites and then peruse some you may not know about. The link is here, thanks for checking it out!