JAKE SCHROCK: Temporal Visions (Exclusive Edition) EP 12"

$30.00

Jake Schrock builds very specific sound worlds. They feel familiar yet wholly singular to the Texas-based analog electronic composer. His 2018 Holodeck Records debut Tropical Depression was this island vibe-heavy record. Schrock painted visions of steely shores and sinking suns with vintage synths and drum machines, giving us an album that was equally Caribbean and Philip K. Dick. It was honestly unlike anything I’d ever heard, yet gave me a heavy sense of Deja Vu. As if I’d visited Schrock’s sound world as a kid, or in some fever dream.

His follow-up to that record was Omnibus and we went from the steely shores of some retro-futuristic island dystopia to some Moebius-inspired kaleidoscope of sound and vision, bringing the spirit of Rüdiger Lorenz and Kraftwerk into sharp focus.

On Jake Schrock’s latest album, the excellent Temporal Visions EP, Schrock brings what came before into a more 80s pop-centric light. Street light-lit songs that have a late night feel; basking in dance floor bedlam and moody contemplation equally. This is a record about getting lost in the moment.

Album opener “Aura” has a steady, driving rhythm that never relents. Schrock has this amazing ability of building sound worlds that bring in equal parts familiarity and singularity. Listening to this song I’m reminded of the 80s TV scores of Mike Post, Michael Mann films, and Klaus Schulze’ 80s output. “Crystal System” locks into Rüdiger Lorenz vibes with its ethereal synth sounds. I’m also reminded of, surprisingly enough, of George Michael’s Faith album(go give that a re-listen and relish in that album’s beautiful production.) In-particular, I hear touches of “Father Figure” in this song’s excellent layers of sound and keys. “Triangular” continues the lush 80s feel, with something that falls between a Friday night at the mall in 1983 and Jan Hammer exhibitionism.

Schrock touches on similar sonic territory as contemporaries like Hunter Complex and Marco Egeberg, while bringing in the spirit of esoteric composers like Mark Isham and Brad Fiedel. Title track “Temporal Visions” opens the landscape wide with dreamy sonic textures and a sleek, subtle rhythm. There are sounds here that bring to mind distant memories; from childhood car rides soundtracked by 80s pop radio to mysterious soundtracks to movies that feel almost conjured from my subconscious. “Vertigo” is contemplative and moody, while “Digital Waves” sits heavy like some end of day thousand yard stare into the abyss of an existential crisis. It’s contemplative, gorgeous, and revelatory.

Jake Schrock continues to move his sound and production forward, while locking in and honoring the past. The 80s can and have been fetishized to the extreme over the last decade, as artists attempt to lock into the neon haze of that era. Some do so well, while others may have all the toys but only come across as derivative of the time. Jake Schrock’s music feels like a time capsule to 70s and 80s electronic music; from pop music to film scores to TV themes to outsider Krautrock. His albums comes across as records lost to time, newly found in some dusty vault. They feel genuine to the era, while being unique and singular in a sea of one dimensional sounds. Temporal Visions EP continues that trend, evoking nostalgia, melancholy, and a touch of emotional time travel.

J. Hubner