Nocturne City EP (Perturbator)

NOCTURNE CITY EP
by James Kent
aka
PERTURBATOR

01	Intro (The Journey)	01:47	by Perturbator
02	Welcome to Nocturne City	05:46	by Perturbator
03	Fantasy	06:24	by Perturbator (feat. Dream Koala)
04	Night Business	04:49	by Perturbator
05	There is No Love Highway	05:26	by Perturbator
BONUS TRACK
06	Vengeance (Return of the Night Driving Avenger)	05:00	by Perturbator

PERTURBATOR SEAMLESSLY BLENDS HIS CRUMBLING DYSTOPIAN CITYSCAPES WITH THE PROMISE OF ADVENTURE IN HIS NOCTURNE CITY EP. A PRELUDE TO THE ATMOSPHERE OF THE PHENOMENAL I AM THE NIGHT, KENT SUCCEEDS AT HIS MISSION - TO TELL "MANY STORIES OF LOVE AND VIOLENCE THAT TAKES PLACE IN THIS DARK FUTURISTIC REALM WHERE ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN." THE INTRO SEGUEING INTO "WELCOME TO NOCTURNE CITY" STANDS AS EVIDENCE OF HIS IMPECCABLE CINEMATIC SENSE AND DESERVES TO BE HEARD.

Nocturne City holds a special place in my heart - it's the first synthwave album I purchased (on iTunes, before I even knew Bandcamp existed). Released by Perturbator in 2012 on the Aphasia Records label, it also marks a transitory point between the soundtrack style of his Terror 404 and the more cinematic I am the Night. But, uh, I should probably make a distinction between my use of "soundtrack" and "cinematic", which will probably end up being confusing, but whatever. When I think of soundtrack music, I think of something that can stand on its own but isn't complex enough to overpower whatever it's supposed to be backing. Tommy '86's Outer Space Adventurer is a great example. When I say that something's cinematic, though, I'm trying to say that it tells such a strong story on its own that I can't think of it backing anything but something that's been deliberately tailored for it. Case in point - Perturbator's edit of Akira synced to the quasi-title track.

Actually, I bought this EP for "Vengeance", which was listed on the Hotline Miami soundtrack but didn't appear in the actual game files, I suspect because of its scoring. It's a badass outrun track with a pounding beat that moves relentlessly until the fadeout. It's also a callback to "Night Driving Avenger" from his EP of the same name, but Perturbator's skills have grown so much that the layers of hooks overshadow the original in just about every aspect, from that opening rippling bass (reworked for "Complete Domination" in Dangerous Days) to the synth solos and the song's softer breaks that give you just a bit of relief before you start moving again. What I found wrapped up in the same package, and what hooked me on synthwave, was the unstoppable combo of "The Journey" leading into "Welcome to Nocturne City".

"Journey" is just a piece to set the mood, but I never find myself listening to one without the other. It's just so fantastic at doing its job, starting with the sample from "Beyond the Black Rainbow" that paves the way for the soaring synthesizers while the bassline that forms the foundation for "Nocturne City" creeps in. The powerful drum stingers complement the understated bass riff, underscoring the cinematic feel as Perturbator works his magic with some beautiful synth work. The bridge section is an essential element, adding an ominous feel that conjures up images of slow pans over cityscapes dominated by monolithic skyscrapers whose spotlights barely hint at the absolute heights. "Nocturne" is pretty much my top synth song, evocative enough to create a mental movie which will undoubtedly vary from listener to listener. The comparisons to Vangelis are not without merit.

There's more to Nocturne City than a pair of immaculate outrun tracks, though. The more or less title track morphs into "Fantasy", a dreamy, hypnotic selection featuring Dream Koala. It's a previously unseen side of Perturbator but explored in some aspect in all of his following releases, and a welcome show of his versatility as a writer. It's also a great way to let the listener relax after the rollercoaster ride into Nocturne City. The other part of his lighter side shows up in the soft, bittersweet "There is No Love Highway", which must have some kind of a story behind it given that Kent has two working versions of a "Love Highway" in his early works collection. It's a beautiful, almost ambient piece given its simplistic motif, and a pleasant way of closing out the EP. I think that both of these ideas were improved on in Perturbator's followups (like "Naked Tongues" / "The Price of Failure") but they're definitely worth a listen in this particular incarnation.

"Night Business" is a dark bridge between the two. A lot of that is due to the cryptic, digitized speech, which happens during the track's break section. The surrounding music is a sort of future-noir that makes me think of a rain that never ends, dominated by a stinging, irregular beat. With that, the off-kilter ascending three-note synth riff, and the unusually optimistic melody / solo, it's a memorable soundtrack experience and a smart way of injecting some intensity between the EP's quieter sections. And, well, "memorable soundtrack experience" is really Nocturne City EP in a nutshell - an evolution of the cinematic sensibilities of Terror 404 plied to an incredibly vibrant outcome.

WHY YOU NEED THIS ALBUM: If you're a fan of Perturbator and don't yet have Nocturne City, you should definitely grab it. Personally, I think "Welcome to Nocturne City" is worth the price of admission alone, but the rest of it is essential synthwave.

WHERE TO FIND: On the Aphasia Records's bandcamp page, here, at the low, low price of €5.50... which may be why it has the least supporters of any of the releases bearing Kent's nom de guerre. You can also grab it on iTunes or Google Play, and I'm sure other outlets.

THERE ARE EIGHT MILLION STORIES IN NOCTURNE CITY
THIS HAS BEEN ONE OF THEM