STYLE
Serious downtempo synthesiser chill with an air of cosmic mystery. Is A Flexible Liquid is an album of almost pure electronica - additional material blending seamlessly into the overall digital architecture. Brooding, squelching basses or blunt sub frequencies lumber and prowl at the low end, a rich and varied selection of lustrous synthetic voices delivering the melodic substance. Khooman makes full use of repeating phrases that alternate and cycle round and around gradually permeating the consciousness, inevitably building into powerful familiarity. There are some moody introductions - the melodies arising slowly out of ambient mists and shades to dramatic impact. There are some evocative airy effects spread across the sequential materials that have a slightly ghostly feel at times - moaning sheets of tone, heavily effected chants or pitch-shifted murmurings.


MOOD
Most of the album has a somewhat shady, sombre tone - drawn out introductions establishing this mysterious gloom, order forming little by little from dark, amorphous sound clouds. There is a spacey sci-fi side to much of the music too - programmed sequences and arpeggios burbling and revolving in engineered regularity, hints of circuitry and glowing control panels - but the gutsy beats maintain a connection with earth, a tribal drive anchoring everything to the ground.

ARTWORK
A very attractive package designed by Anna Ignatieva features a series of beautifully enigmatic images. The front cover shows peculiar floating figures with lithe blue limbs and smooth, blank faces set against a black void. Luminous yellow eyes suggest alien visions and patterned skins decorate elegant body forms that vaporise at the extremities. These creatures and their accompanying blue auras appear throughout - sometimes alongside the subdued text as with the rear cover tracklist, sometimes as a backdrop. Inside is a two panel insert filled with generous thanks and some brief credits. If you'd like to see more of the artist's work - there is a website here.

OVERALL
Khooman is Moscow based musician Edward Trunov who has apparently been creating music since around 2000. As Khooman he has been performing live on stage since 2005 and here presents for us his full length debut CD. Focussing on chill out, ambient and psychedelic trance this release fits right into the sound that we have come to expect from the fascinating Ajana Records label. Promotional material describes the music as a story of eight tracks that "connects to your emotional state easily, exploring the depth of the mind ....a unique world for exploring the sounds of the soul.

WHO WILL LIKE THIS ALBUM
Khooman will appeal to lovers of psychedelic trance looking for something downbeat and moody. Perhaps fans of Phutureprimitive, Psyfactor or Androcell will be drawn to the shadows and twilight sparkle here.

MORPHEUS MUSIC
Chill/worldbeat/ambient/electronica info hub
www.morpheusmusic.co.uk