Colin Newman and Malka Spigel have kept plenty busy over the past couple years. After the recent reissue of the Wire frontman’s 1997 experimental solo album Bastard via his and his partner Spigel’s swim~ label, the duo are gearing up to release another new album via their recently revived instrumental electronic outlet Immersion, with Nanocluster Vol. 2 (the sequel to 2021’s collaboration-heavy Vol. 1) arriving June 14 via their label. Featuring Holy Fuck’s Matt Schulz on drums, the project treads a not-dissimilar territory to that band’s soothing take on lyric-less post-rock, albeit taking things in a more minimal direction.
In fact the album’s latest single “Rotations” leans all the way into minimalism, as the track recalls Philip Glass’ fluttering, moebius-like soundtrack to Godfrey Reggio’s -qatsi trilogy. Softening the duo’s lush piano part and continually building orchestration are marimba and violin parts contributed by multi-instrumentalist wayfarer Thor Harris. “The idea was to create a piece that would be in the American minimalist tradition that is very much Thor’s world,” the duo shares. “This gives the tempo and repetition which center on the fast piano figure. Thor’s marimba and violin are so deeply within the structure, it feels like we played it as an ensemble with Matt’s bells providing some sparkle. It’s like a piece of ‘orchestral magic’ produced by people who don’t have access to an orchestra.”
Naturally, the video that the track arrives with mines the fast-paced urban visuals of Koyaanisqatsi and its sequels, albeit with a slightly surreal filter highlighting the visual’s pinks and blues. “We wanted to mirror that tempo and energy in the video which was shot in Austin, Brighton, Osaka, Tokyo, and Kyoto,” they add.
Check that out below, and pre-order Nanocluster Vol. 2 here.
