An artist’s output should follow a logical upward curve. One release should intrigue and interest the listener, so much so that one single should act like a bookmark for the audience, a mental note to check out what comes next.
So it was with Asymptomatrix, the piece that first alerted me to Nick Marks’, not inconsiderable talents. With my interest piqued and my expectations high, Back to Life has arrived to, hopefully, continue that upward trajectory.
And it does. Brilliantly. Marks builds complex urban soundscapes comprised of mercurial blends of waves of jazz vibes and deft and dexterous inner-city hip-hop vocals, delicate piano lines and digital beats, mercurial electronica, and breezy brass salvos.
A lot is happening in the track, but Mark’s compositional skills allow everything to find its proper place, enable each element and instrument to have its day in the sun, and keep each sonic thread from cofounding or confusing or crowding the other. Space, arrangement, and the choice and precise placement of musical element are all skills that he uses to arrange each sonic strand to their most beneficial and beguiling ends.
This is the effect of skilled composition, usually reserved for more formal, orchestral, classical, or jazz worlds, applied to contemporary sounds. And proof, if it were even needed, that modern music can be every bit as smart and switched on as what has gone before.
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[…] Nick Marks’ ability to dance lightly across any number of musical genres, sounds, and styles never ceases to amaze me. You come across artists who are great at fusing two genres together, and sometimes, you stumble across those who can work with perhaps three at a time. But listening to, revelling in, and dissecting Nick’s work reveals him to be a consummate juggler. […]