Much like his work as half of the gonzo noise-jazz duo
Moth Cock,
Pat Modugno's solo material as
Khaki Blazer follows its own peculiar brand of logic. The Ohio-based artist twists irregular samples into oblong patterns, arriving at a demented, cartoonish form of post-modern avant-garde beatmaking.
Optikk is exactly the sort of splattercore weirdness he's been pumping out for years, and it sounds like the music that a bunch of malfunctioning electronic toys would breakdance to. Yet it's not all corkscrew loops of squeaky noises and distortion -- halfway through "Black Mesh," he inserts a sample of what sounds like a field recording of a street performance by
Laraaji. A few other moments like the gelatinous "Sporting Capes" and "Giraffe Print" are woozy and dreamlike. However, the most successful tracks are the ones that balance chaotic sample-smashery with a more distinct sense of rhythm. "Nose Cover" is a thrilling piece of goofball dub, while "Conga Line" sounds like a footwork/jungle hybrid track constructed from toy sounds. Other tracks erupt into pure chaos, with grotesque vocals and squishy horns blurting out of nowhere. One can't even fathom the thought process behind the creation of music this densely assembled and jumbled yet strangely deliberate-sounding; all that matters is that it's fun, crazy, and completely on a different realm than anything else. ~ Paul Simpson
