After a year of acclaimed releases on SK¦Eleven, Voltage, and his own Observer Station, the ever exciting up-and-comer Altinbas strikes with his debut on Token. Known for crafting club textures with the utmost attention to detail, Altinbas offers his four contributions to the Belgian label under the name ‘Illumination’.
Grabbing the A1 slot with the title name, ‘Illumination’ unveils Altinbas’s story with a bubbly and strobe-like introduction. With a long arrangement and sustained tension, suspense is never far from an otherwise aquatic record. ‘Integrate the Shadow’ claims A2 as an introverted and mischievous follow up. Nervous keys loop along with dissonant bells accentuating the mystery to an already obscure soundscape. More playful with the percussion here, Altinbas structures his second track with electric stabs and wide rides to provide appropriate pace. We are then gripped by a confident third, ‘Tenacity’, for a pinch of attitude needed in any good club record. The metallic lead swings off a muffled mid synth line to create movement here, and the clap booms behind us to create that dimension. Racing to the end of ‘Tenacity’, Altinbas then guides us to our final chapter – ‘Follow the Eyes’. This dreamy conclusion opens up the EP, giving us far-off strings and a reliably ethereal lead bell that melts into a thick ambience. The drums push us through a cloudy landscape to land us safely for the end of our story.