Fast-rising Bristol-based studio tinkerer
Who they?
Having previously played in various psych bands, Bristolian Patrick Tipler (aka Delay Grounds) came to prominence with a debut pair of EPs – 2020’s ‘Onomatopoeia’ and this year’s ‘Upcycling’. Reflecting his synth obsession and love of tinkering in the studio, both announced him as a cutting-edge producer and sound designer, and a major new talent to boot.
Why Delay Grounds?
Released on Barcelona’s Lapsus label, Tipler’s latest five-tracker, ‘Genus’, sees him build on the momentum of those earlier releases. Channelling the anxiety, vulnerability and grief he felt during lockdown, the EP goes large on thrilling atmospherics and glitchy, playful hues, its “astral” electronica veering off into avant-techno and IDM territory. “The process of making music was the only place I felt comfortable ‘talking’ about how I was feeling,” says Tipler. “Listening back to ‘Genus’ now, I’m like, ‘Wow, it all came out on this record’.” He cites arch-experimentalists Can, the oscillating atmospherics of Broadcast (“It’s that grit-in-the-pearl beauty of undulating feedback, tape hiss and reverb”) and the euphoric psych of Animal Collective as major inspirations. And you can hear their influence seeping into the sonic minutiae of ‘Genus’, on tracks such as ‘Origin’ and ‘Soft Detach’.
Tell us more…
Electronic music has already come to define him in unforeseen ways. “It’s taught me so much about myself just because I find making it so difficult,” he says. “I’ve had to totally rethink everything I thought I knew about music, but through the struggle of the process, I’ve really found myself.” With live dates and more releases in the works – he’s currently using his Instagram feed as a sound source, intriguingly – it’s going to be exciting seeing how he evolves from here.
‘Genus’ is released by Lapsus
