EP Review: Omega Point Blank

Psyrok is a cross-genre electronica producer and songwriter based in Wellington. He also runs his own micro-label Psylince Records. He has been collaborating with Swedish vocalist Jenny Larsson (aka Li’l Sister Jen) for some years now and the last article I found on the pair indicated that they have never even met in person and up until recently they had never even spoken. Such is the power of the internet that allows collaborations from opposite sides of the world.
 

Delving through the archives, I came across an interview on the muzic.net.nz website written in 2009 on our friend Psyrok, I won’t go over old ground as I am sure a lot has happened since 2009… but a few things jumped out at me. Such as, he came up with the name Psyrok in a dream by an ancient spirit, he described his music as original. Individual. Empathetic and he was working with Li’l Sister Jen even back then. 

A description of Psyrok’s style of music would be chill out, downbeat, trip-hop, electronic and downtempo. Omega Point Blank is no exception; the 4 track EP is pretty chill. I personally would describe this EP as trip-hop with ambience. Think Portishead, Morcheeba, Massive Attack.

You simply float into first track Only Yesterday. If we were to take a step back into the 1990’s where chill out rooms were a thing, then imagine sinking down into a huge beanbag and getting lost in the music. This is a perfect zone out piece of music and gives us a good immediate hit of the beautiful soothing vocals of Li’l Sister Jen.

Moving onto Space Blues I rather liked, it reminded me of something slightly Beastie Boys but not really. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it… any way I am still zoning out. Maybe even spacing out and I am really enjoying what I am hearing.
 

The rest of the EP, which is two more tracks; Lion Son and Omega Point Blank continues on the same path, however before you ascend into the big fluffy white clouds, it takes on a futuristic feel and the conclusion of this EP is a little bit jarring with all the chatter about space. Which is ironic.

I enjoyed almost a veil of peace sensation that settled on me when I listened to this EP, I say almost because the title track at the end kind of rattled me slightly, but having said that it also added another trippy dimension. This falls slightly short of ending up on Café Del Mar.

I totally recommend checking Omega Point Blank out.

_{Review written by Corinne Rutherford}