Isan: Analog Dreaming

During the mid-1990's, when artists such as Aphex Twin and Autechre emerged and introduced the underground electronica world to their abstract and disassociated glacial blips, Robin Saville and Antony Ryan created the perfect complimentary sound through their collaboration under the name Isan (standing for "Integrated Services Analogue Network). Isan's response to the then-modern electronic music consisted of warm synthesizers, dreamy drumboxes, and childlike melodies that knit together perfectly, surrounding the listener with an agreeable ambiance that hinted at a charming innocence.

Uniting their interest of "using dodgy old keyboards to made dodgy old noise," Ryan and Saville founded Britain's first home for neglected and abandoned synthesizers. Based within a secluded garden in southern England, the duo constantly finds themselves immersed in mythical landscapes and fantastic story lines. They draw inspiration from their garden of wonders, and at the end of the day they feed their enchanting stories- in the form of glimmering tunes and reverberating bleeps- to their instruments. Their harmonious collaborations are often sparked by characters such as the salamander that scrabbled over the cords of their synthesizers, or the lucky transient cat that wandered into the garden. Gradually, they included new additions to their lineup of old keyborads and disassembled circuit boards; soon an orchestra of guitars, glockenspiels, and miscellaneous percussion intruments found themselves home among the rekindled and happily-humming synths. Soon the duo started working separately across the UK, sending files back and forth via the internet, adding layer by layer until they hit perfection.

Isan's latest work, "Plans Drawn In Pencil," is the long-anticipated follow-up to 2004's incandescent masterpiece, "Meet Next Life." Instead of recreating their characteristic velvet electronica, Isan transforms themselves by immersing sounds into a darker landscape, all the while still managing to froth up an inviting cup of adventure. "Plans Drawn In Pencil" is a lushly arranged delicacy- with blurry filters, analog ripples, and quirky layered synths. From the dreamlike hums of "Cinnabar," to the sudsy stop-and-go electronics of "Amber Button," Isan presents us with yet another dynamic lambent piece of imagination-candy. Glowing, gleaming, and flickering with a soft radiance, Isan invites everybody to their flourishing garden for a gorgeous aural treat.

Visit Isan's webiste for tour dates and free live downloads, or check their MySpace page and show them some MySpace love.

Listen and love: Cinnabar, Amber Button