Voiski – Hanging In The Stars, Pt. 1

19 Feb

Voiski’s new outing on Funnuvojere is one of my favourites from the Frenchman in recent memory. Voiski’s sound sees energetic drums collide with dreamy synths, often resulting in tracks you could categorise as celestial trance meets deep shimmer-wave. Hanging In The Stars, Pt. 1 (2024) embraces the more synth-focused side of Voiski’s style, throwing us headfirst into a technicolour ocean glistening with an outlandish yet ethereal beauty.

From the outset, Voiski plunges us into a world unknown. The vast, synthesised pads on ‘Romance Mentale’ are sharp-edged as though refracting rainbows of light bounce off an oil slick, temporarily blinding. The cinematic elements flow effortlessly between notes, almost screeching into each crescendo, only tethered by an undulating bass. Sparkling pads have a vocal quality that fools you into hearing a ghostly echo within each note, particularly in the latter, ‘Harmonie Du Soir’. It is what life would be like inside a soap bubble. Everything has a sheen to it. The synths squeak, topped off with an immaterial floating sensation from the sweeping noise underneath the arpeggiators.

The second two tracks are built from the ground up to give the crowd a transcendent moment on the dance floor. The phasing polyrhythms of ‘Call It Madness’ are designed to hypnotise. The arpeggiated line is drenched in effects, more akin to an avant-garde shoegaze performance than techno (if it wasn’t for the pounding four-to-the-floor kick.) Both tracks indulge in retro sci-fi sounds incorporating filter sweeps that mimic futuristic sirens, but ‘Hanging In The Stars’ steps it up with sampled kick drums and synth bass. The delicate melodies and strings combine, sounding like a heavenly chorus. This cosmic soundscape is given focus by the wicked synth bass that chugs through the low frequencies. For those seeking a higher power, Voiski’s fantastic control of intensity is what shines throughout Hanging In The Stars, Pt. 1.

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