Dr. Atmo - Nubali

Most highly recommended.

Key tracks: Satu, Dua, Delapan, Sembilian

The good Dr. Atmo is back, returning in this new year of 2023 with another sparkling foray into the wellspring of tincture and texture. The word Nubali doesn’t have an official definition, but it might indeed conjure many images: far-flung civilizations, cosmogenesis, the birthplace of ancient astronauts perhaps? One thing is for certain: this sprightly, sparkling, bubbly music is an unabashed delight for the senses, the kind of syncopated percolations ex-pat Tangerine Dreamers and Berlin school graduates would be proud of, particularly if gene-spliced with a decidedly 90s affectation more than suggestive of Namlook aglow in the aura of his Orb. “Dua” is all kaleidoscopic sequencer laced with intergalactic brio, while “Empat” chugs and fugs mightily along on a spring-tight chassis shedding starshine as it goes. The lengthy “Delapan” moves through so many moods, memories, and striations the ear is permanently fixed in dazzle-mode: synths glint off rainbow-etched prisms, breathy cymbals achieve some rhythmic byplay, weird will-o-the-wisps sift and shimmer about like so much windblown ephemera. Get thee ticket on the magical mystery tour to Nubali at once—Dr.’s orders.