With style and technique, IMANU’s debut album, ‘Unfold,’ hits streaming platforms
For textured, inventive soundscapes that defy the quotidian, dance/electronic listeners can—and have—turned to IMANU. His debut album, Unfold, confirms that they’ve not only been right in doing so, but that they should also continue doing so.
Unfold has depth, breadth, and the sophistication that has become IMANU’s custom, though it’s worth noting that the LP finds the producer toeing melodic territory to an unprecedented degree. “Unfold is an exploration of my more melodic side,” he noted on Twitter, explaining that the stasis induced by the COVID-19 pandemic wiped his creative slate clean. “This fresh start brought me a creativity which enabled me to write music like I had never done before.”
With melody as a throughline and an assortment of featured acts, including KUČKA, Louis Futon, and Zonderling, among others, as its company, Unfold is a novel first offering from an ear that’s not exactly new to the game. IMANU, born Jonathan Immanuel Kievit, is noteworthy for cutting his teeth in the dance/electronic industry under his former drum ‘n’ bass alias, Signal. Through Signal, Kievit placed releases on labels like RAM and Renegade Hardware and crafted official remixes for What So Not and Skrillex, to name just a few. In the time since Kievit pivoted, retiring Signal and activating IMANU in turn, he’s graced powerhouses like Never Say Die, UKF, mau5trap, and Deadbeats (where Unfold ultimately lands). If the debut album was a test of IMANU’s dexterity and malleability, then Unfold is the palette of flying colors with which he passes.
Featured image: c.2.h.2
Categories: Music