BLACK DECELERANT - Reflections Vol. 2: Black Decelerant

Slowness as the opposite of haste, not merely on a semantic level but as a mirror-image pole, a guiding principle that demands an entire system of ideas all to itself. Slowness as a treasure to rediscover, a journey in open defiance of the dictates of accelerationism, the destination through which to regain contact with rest and oblivion, with mourning, with the very design underlying our limits and aspirations. Slowness as a political proclamation, a manifesto with which to subvert the concept of movement, the senseless frenzy that attacks and consumes everything. As the second chapter of its "Reflections" series, devoted to fostering collaboration between contemporary musicians, RVNG heads straight for the most rebellious outskirts of ambient music, playing with the expectations and preconceptions that come attached to it.

Who are its performers? On one side we find Khari Lucas, better known as Contour, a neo-soul musician and producer recently acclaimed also for his work on Gentle Confrontation by Loraine James. On the other, we have Omari Jazz, closer to the hip-hop universe but with a solid grounding in electronic music. While the latter had already appeared on the former's last solo album, it's only now that their creative rapport finds a concrete outlet, in the shape of the Black Decelerant project. Born of a shared passion for jazz improvisation, yet at the same time the frame for a far more intricate sonic picture, the duo's first release rides on waves of deep reflectiveness, sustained by a quiet shift in perspective that shapes its realization through and through.

With just one brief vocal aside giving the entire album a clear conceptual anchor, as well as reaffirming the project's proudly African-American perspective, the record never makes its political nature explicit through its sonic choices or particular textural shifts; rather, it is the album itself, its very conception, that embodies the protest, highlighting the countercurrent motion within the system it inhabits. And if this also means scrambling the numerical order of the tracks on the tracklist, so be it: this momentary surprise won't dampen the immersive character of an experience that unfolds like the most ecstatic Stars Of The Lid, while also tapping into the deep spirituality of Don Cherry and the sense of mystery of Laraaji.

Stillness reigns supreme, stirred just enough to never feel flat. Instinct must prevail, its intervention tracing new coordinates: over sparse drone swells, a guitar hints at sinuous melodic contributions in "Three", barely rippled by light gusts of wind, while the following "One" reaches the swirling density of Beautiful Schizophonic, placing a lyrical piano commentary at the center of its universe. No speed, no sense of urgency, everything evolves according to an inner order, transitions are handled by softening the impacts, while still keeping intact the ghostly nature, the evocative power of the tracks.

Rather than filling spaces, Lucas and Jazz's deceleration focuses on absences, traveling along that thin line that taps into emptiness, finding within it a restorative beauty. This is how the duo's true creative power is unleashed, respectful explorers of the cosmos (the wandering synths of "Six", barely jagged by outside interference), capable of expressing the most sincere emotion ("Two", a sparkling jazz sketch in which the trumpet of Jawaad Taylor of Shape Of Broad Minds floats warmly), elsewhere prone to pushing out its more meditative side (the watery textures of "Five").

In the rich variety of solutions put into play, Black Decelerant's art ultimately reveals its intentions by embracing the undefined, finding within itself a hidden strength that resists outside pressures in a way that seems counterintuitive, yet is entirely logical. Permeable but never submissive, such serenity can stand up even to the most formidable enemy.

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02/07/2024