State Of No One - Shlomi Aber

State Of No One

Shlomi Aber [Renaissance]

#09 in this month's The 20

• Written by: Terry Church
• Filed under: The 20: shlomi aber

You might think that minimal and trance are mutually exclusive genres (glowsticks and furry leg warmers don’t really go with skinny jeans and a mullet) but somehow Israel’s Shlomi Aber has managed to make the two dance together on his new album ‘State of No One’.

Not quite hands in the air, not quite coffee table grooves, ‘State of No One’ combines the melodic hypnotic characteristics of trance with minimal techno’s stripped back approach.

The result is something rather beautiful, downtempo and mature.

Whilst Shlomi Aber is known for his dancefloor-focused beats on Cocoon Recordings, Ovum and Toolroom Knights, ‘State of No One’ would suit a lazy Sunday afternoon stroll.

Chill out broken beats and textured frequencies combine with quirky minimal noises and bleeps in a very James Holden sort of way.

Aber’s not quite as evolutionary or forward-thinking as Holden, but his melody holds true against the cold minimal sound, giving the beats a warm, glowing feeling, something that Holden is a master of.

There’s poignant vocal cuts like ‘Don’t Be A Fool’ which features Guy Mantzur, who provides a Thom Yorke feeling.

Female vocalist Anat Ben Hemo and her sexy soulful voice on ‘Random Fiction’ gives Aber’s futuristic bleepy synths a contrasting smoothness.

There’s super minimal to be found on ‘Looking in God’s Eyes’ which manages to create space and wonder out of a few small elements.

And there’s a glitchy breakbeat soundscape on ‘The Paradise Garage’ which feels slightly threatening, dark and menacing – perhaps Shlomi Aber made it imagining the empty, dusty garage that housed one of the most important clubs in history.

Altogether, ‘State of No One’ shows Aber to be an intelligent mind, with ambitions to move beyond the club circles.

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