- Christopher Ramos debuted as v1984 last year on Glacial Industries, which made its name as part of the weightless grime movement. Weightless grime isn't the style Pansori fits into, but Ramos's sound palette—glassy synths, deep bass, crisp drums—shares similarities. Piano, which is played with obvious classical training on "SPfiNAL TAP re-JUVENescence" and "beauty // IT5INYR-H3D," has a key role on Pansori. The push-pull of classical sounds and abstract electronics, complementary and given equal weight, provides much of the EP's movement and drama.
v1984 references the club, but even the entirely electronic tracks are not dance floor numbers. "Too Much" is the closest, and it doesn't feel far from something Kuedo might make. An interlude, "False Awakenings," has the chirpy sheen of PC Music but none of the irony. Pansori takes its name from the Korean tradition of musical storytelling performed by a vocalist and a drummer, a nod to Ramos's part-Korean heritage. That's a useful way to view to this release, which is a narrative arc of moods.
Tracklist01. SPfiNAL TAP re-JUVENescence
02. Too Much
03. False Awakenings
04. Aria of Dawn
05. beauty // IT5INYR-H3D