Music Discussion: Iridescent by Pugilist & Pod

This post marks the beginning of a new type of blog article. I’ve been missing the days when music journalists would take the time to listen and come up with an article about albums or songs. For musicians, getting validation is not something that can quickly be done. Some find it through being signed to a label, but even then, it doesn’t fill that need, primarily because of a lack of significative appreciation. One can appreciate your music, but does that mean the song is well-produced?

With the ever-coming release announcements, finding music we can relate to becomes harder. As an artist, there was a period when you’d find music in batches for a genre, and it would take a moment to create a new bunch. This would leave you time to appreciate and digest it. Nowadays, there is constant work to do, digging through the waves of published music and checking an artist’s back catalogue or a label to find more of a specific sound you can appreciate.

As an audio engineer, label owner and artist, I often feel overwhelmed by the music I’m exposed to. Some music I find fascinating is not getting any attention, while some music that gets all the media press leaves me unimpressed. What do I love in the end?

I decided to team up with my partner Jan (somebody3lse), who’s constantly digging and unearthing gems, exposing me to music that is not exactly what I would listen to at first but that I always appreciate. We decided to open music discussions on songs we like. I never understood why the media would negatively review some music; I feel it is missing the chance to expose us to music that needs to be heard, and while one person might not like an album, why do I need to hear about it? It’s not like they’re saving me from an eminent problem.

We also don’t feel like we want to do reviews, but more likely, open conversation about music we like from two different angles: from a DJ’s point of view vs an audio engineer/producer.

In 2024, we started an event in Montreal named Sweet Spot, where we’d invite artists to share a song they made to have a real-time feedback experience from people who would listen to it in a very attentive approach. The idea is also to give the artist a moment to share their knowledge of making the song so that non-producers can raise awareness towards that reality.

These days, when Spotify is abusing artists’ reality, and people are still using it, perhaps there’s a disconnection between the two realities. Somewhat similar to people buying clothes made by people who are making them in slave conditions; if we were closer to those sweatshops, we’d care more.

That was my long introduction to why I’m starting a new branch of posts on my blog. TLDR;

• Opening conversation about music we love.
• Give some artists a nudge of appreciation.
• Bring back honest discussions and descriptions about music instead of generic promo texts.

Our first post.

Iridescent by Pugilist & Pod

Words by somebody3lse:

Iridescent is the title track from a debut collaborative LP by Australian producers Pugilist & Pod released in November 2024.  I chose this track to share with Pheek because it’s a bit different to what I usually play and I wanted to step outside each of our comfort zones to explore something new.  As a downtempo track its a lot slower than the majority of music I play for others.

There is a clear intention from the start, with a percussive movement joined by the kick after 16 bars. From a technical perspective I appreciate the definite intro that allows me to beat match. I feel a warmth in the dub sounds and a gentle drive giving energy and direction.

It builds into a transition point around 3 minutes, where the mood changes and takes on more of an edge. A metallic call that feels like a submarine alarm brings some urgency and shifts the pace. Just before the 5-minute mark, we lose percussion and get lost in a swirling underwater tide. When the kick comes back, it’s more metallic and feels like we’ve been scooped back up out of the ocean again.

The intensity decreases over the last minute or so, which makes for a smooth transition. It also breaks down elements that would close out a set nicely.

It is very well-phased and structured, not in an obvious way, making for a track that is kind to the DJ playing it.  I would love more opportunities to play slower, more expressive music like this.  I can imagine this played at a festival with the sun rising at an alternative stage where people seek refuge from the intensity of it all.

Pheek’s view (transcript from audio):

The texture starts cold to me regarding sounds, which I have a different feel than somebody3lse, and I wouldn’t be surprised if this artist used the Elektron, the same machine I have. I could recognize the effect. So this is where I’m getting nerdy a little bit. I could hear that, and it was distracting me. As a producer, my mind constantly goes from listening to trying to understand how it was made. If I pinpoint how it was made, my mind relaxes a bit.

Anyway, the song felt nice because it was inspiring, and I liked it overall; I loved the track and bought it right after the first listen. Initially, I thought the arrangements were unsettling as I was a bit thrown off because he was using three voices, which is a bit of a risk. When you build a song, you start with your three voices; it can be challenging to keep them engaging. But the way he morphed and made the sound evolve, and alternate is very clever and flows well. It’s hypnotizing, and I like arrangements to be that way. I felt that the sounds were crunchy, but the stereo didn’t feel wide; it didn’t feel like it was open, but the frontal density worked as is, too. I guess it’s typical of that genre.

Some sounds fell before me, metallic and like those of Transformers. Moving and shaping are repetitive but constantly changing at the same time. It made it pleasant. The pace is slow and takes time; this is a slow tempo but intense mood. That’s not easy to execute in production because you might be tempted to go in one direction or another, resulting in flat results or overwhelming. They nailed the balance just right. Finding the right moment to play that kind of music as a DJ can also be challenging.

By the end, I couldn’t grasp an evident emotion out of it except for maybe something dark and mischievous but not in a playful way. It felt like there was a bit of danger or uneasiness. My synesthesia was not really triggered, but it doesn’t mean it’s bad or anything. Sometimes, when I hear music like that, I see geographic shapes and textures but in this case, it felt more like images, but blurry.

Conclusion:

We love this song because it’s well-crafted and builds energy, even if it’s slow. There’s a journey where we feel the direction is clear, and the journey to get there is emotive. The textures and sound design are lovely and aligned with our tastes because of the engaging craft put into them.

We’ve been thinking of making this into a podcast. Would this be something you’d be interested in?