By Nick Ostrum
Mirante is the latest release from multi-instrumentalist and composer Nick Storring. In a way, it picks up where his 2020 My Magic Dreams Have Lost Their Spell left off in its infatuation with 1970s sound production. Imagine the end to Shuggie Otis’ 'Strawberry Letter 22' looped and stretched indefinitely. This time, however, Storring also captures a rich and dreamy new wave vibe, as well as frequent borrowings from Brazilian percussion.
Mirante, however, also has many other influences that make the resulting recordings so rich. After two bouncy ambient pieces, 'Roxa I and II,' the third track, 'Mirante,' touches on day tripping rave music before slipping into clock sounds that slowly align in another hazy summertime vision. Then, as an example of the Brazilian connection, a drum circle bridges into the next piece, the drum and bass heavy 'Falta de Ar.'
Here, I would like to add a corrective, as I am falling into a trap I had wanted to avoid but apparently cannot. Isolating elements and segments gives a misleading impression of what makes this album special. Mirante works precisely because of how it configures and blends these elements, not because of the overwhelming or identifiable qualities in any input taken on its own. Inspirations from Brazilian dance hall combine with electronic experimentalism in unexpectedly pleasant ways. Field recordings run into downtempo into trip hop. Still, such descriptions might imply this is mere hodge-podge, and that Mirante is certainly not.
'Roxa III,' which closes the album, is a perfect encapsulation both of the unique combinations of styles and sounds and the liquescent flow of the album. Each track can stand on its own, but, as with the individual elements, is best taken in the context of the surrounding tracks. That in itself may not be unique to Mirante. However, Storring carries it out with rare skill and uncommon, and uncommonly convincing, vision. 'Roxa III' is a softly melting ambient piece until the polyrhythms bubble up. The rest of the track, which reaches almost ten minutes, is a tug-of-war between these two polarized tendencies. Through isolating (to an extent) and juxtaposing the two primary drivers of the album – liquid ambient sound production and club-adjacent drum-beats – in such a manner, Storring draws the listeners attention to the tension underlying everything they had just heard but likely missed for the smooth production. In doing so, he invites the listener to start the whole process over, and hear the album anew, now as seven quite unique explorations of a variegated but distinctive sonic space.
Mirante is available as on CD and vinyl, and as a download on Bandcamp:
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