Album Review: Kynan Tan - Rætina

Local WAAPA graduate Kynan Tan played a pretty low-key show here in Perth a couple of weeks back. This reviewer was unfortunate enough to miss the gig, as Tan's exploration into electro-acoustic soundscapes and visual installations is at least meeting the benchmark of contemporary and avant garde audiovisual arts. His live shows have been lauded around the world. Unfortunately, it's a shame – and this of course includes the majority of other artists in this area – that live recordings go little way to provide the same experience.

Rætina is Tan's first work on the Listen/Hear Collective roster, a group that has come together to espouse the work of some of the more left-of-field artists on offer. The album follows that scope perfectly; Tan's experimentation with the ideas of digital transference and technology aren't really what most are used to. But it is damned interesting. The album goes through eight tracks of glitchy, discordant noise – don't expect anything resembling “music” on Rætina. Whilst most of it is built upon an incredibly minimalistic set of recurring beeps and clicks, Tan fills some space with free-form fills from acoustic guitars, chimes and orchestral arrangements, more often than not fed through so many effects that they take on a ghostly, surreal quality. Add to this foley-ish sounds; insects buzzing over a swamp, plates being smashed against each other and echoing raindrops.

Tan truly shines in the audio-visual medium, so if you want a taste of his work, I would highly recommend seeing one of his shows. Rætina is a pretty tame taste that barely scratches the surface of just how interesting and surprising his work can be.