The alias here is pronounced "John," which should immediately tell you something about John Cunnane's relationship with convention. That being he’s not one to follow it.
A dedicated practitioner of drumfunk, a subgenre built around breakbeat chopping, jazz-inflected improvisation, and complex polyrhythm, he has spent two decades building a catalogue across Rephlex (as one half of Macc & dgoHn), Love Love Records, Subtle Audio, Astrophonica, and Analogical Force that has earned him a devoted following and performances at festivals and events worldwide.
Tessares is his fourth album and his first for Planet Mu; the Hove-based imprint that Mike Paradinas (better known as µ-Ziq) has run since the mid-nineties, building one of the most fiercely independent and consistently remarkable catalogues in electronic music through releases from Venetian Snares, Iglooghost, Jlin, FaltyDL, Ital Tek, and Actress among many others.
It is that Venetian Snares reference that will likely be the most appropriate here (and we apologise to Cunnane now for the constant comparison throughout the review, if indeed it is unwanted). The Tessares album as a whole is reminiscent of Aaron Funk’s schizoid breakcore productions on ‘00s Planet Mu; a sound this writer has obsessed over since his friend Paul passed him a copy (shhhhhh) of Songs About My Cats and Chocolate Wheelchair Album on Minidisc.
The album kicks off with Waiting For, lilting piano chords sit among hyperactive, jazz-break drum programming that skitters playfully around choppy vocals and echoing synths (pretty sure there’s a dub siren echo in there too…nice).
Next up is the delightfully bassy I Couldn’t Remember So I Made Something Up, which retains a little of the previous composition’s dub aesthetic, albeit this time feeling a little more like dnb/jungle. Gotta love a snare rush, especially betwixt gonky, discordant bell synths.
We’re on the Bus to Fairlop next, which feels significantly more surreal than a bus to a Greater London suburb should do. Unless dgoHn knows something about Fairlop that we don’t. This one is very ethereal and floaty, which is where Cunnane’s production differs to Funk’s predominantly angsty, angry breakcore.
Orchids is next, bringing with it a funky undercurrent alongside some incredible dystopian pads, vocal chatter, and a superb sub bass progression that really takes charge of the bottom end.
Whistling On a Tuesday opens with electrical hum and the sampled, industrial sound of metal striking metal. A truly euphoric track, whose junglistic bassline complements the hyper-rushing percussion and Speak and Spell-style samples perfectly.
The intensity reaches peak with Electrical Mobility. Everything pans around wildly here creating an incredible sense of discombobulation; perhaps reminiscent of how electrical signals move quickly through their circuits. WILD.
Next we have Holly Can Swim But Doesn’t Really Like It, which instantly instills the sense of foreboding the titular Holly undoubtedly feels in the water. Vocals muffled by submersion permeate in and out of the track alongside tachycardic drums and some insane time signature switches for genuinely horrifying sonic pressure.
Tessares closes on 7 Years or More; a track that immediately releases the pressure the previous composition mounted so generously, an echoing vocal monologue bringing us back into the room.
This is an excellent production and a nice return to the breakcore-ish sounds noughties Planet Mu encapsulated so prolifically. Get yours on Bandcamp.