Secant Prime: Fourier Bessel Series (Uncoiled Loops/Bandcamp)
“Fourier Bessel Series” is the first tease from Secant Prime’s album Wavelets (release date unknown). The track begins as a really handsome slab of deep string drones accentuated with distant radio chatter and effects, setting the tone really well for what’s to follow. Eventually a bouyant, patient, muted throb becomes just audible enough to give the track some extra momentum, even locking in place as a 4/4 techno pulse for a short while, lending it a vaguely underwater quality akin to Porter Ricks or Gas. But by and large, this is elegant, deep ambience at its finest with only the faintest suggestion of something more strident. The remixes take the original from its cavernous depths to a variety of other places, though the first by SlumberSiren is faithful to the delayed decay of the original, emphasizing its sense of space with added reverb and effects so heavy and chilly you can practically feel it in your bones. Eventually it disintegrates into a woozy oscillation of reverb and a more pared down arrangement, complementing the original quite nicely. Not all remixes insist on plumbing the same depths, though.
Fourier Bessel Series Remixes by Secant Prime
The Louderest Mix is a far more immediate dancefloor remix, with a punchy, snare-heavy rhythm section and an urgent, staggered 2-note bassline. It's a tightly wound club workout that's mostly effective, though I could do without the party siren that appears numerous times. The Eight of Swords mix also takes on the dancefloor, in a less punchy and more concise track that’s just 3 minutes long. The Sincock Mix closes it out with something of a hybrid. It's mostly as dense and foggy as the original, but features prominently added chimes and musical gestures that feel more scoreish but ultimately unnecessary. The original is the shining star of the lot, though both the SlumberSiren and Mean Flow mix capitalize on its strengths well, too, by virtue of emphasizing the ambience and not forcing it into a different context. My curiosity is definitely piqued to hear the full Wavelets album when available. Highly recommended.
Buy it: Bandcamp