Building off the sultry electronic art-pop blueprint of her acclaimed 2013 debut 'Everlast', FoF Music's first lady Perera Elsewhere returns with her sonically adventurous, dystopian second full-length 'All Of This'. Written and recorded in Berlin, Istanbul, and Mumbai over the course of three years, 'All Of This' expands on downtempo rhythms and ornate organic/electronic instrumentation focusing on folding hypnotic, moody atmospheres into compelling song-craft traversing trip-hop, avant R&B, and experimental folk.
A quiet tension haunts throughout the record's instinctual arrangements and movements. Addressing increasing distrust and confusion towards our political/economic systems, the album's smoky first single "Something's Up" delivers a warning to open our eyes. Striking a sweet spot between eerie ambience and pop intention, the single's immersive slow groove slithers alongside Perera's soulful lead. Touching upon many timely societal anxieties like wealth inequality, the rise of parallel worlds, social echo chambers, gated communities of the mind ("The Other Side"), ego/self-obsession ("Happened"), the constant noise of being continuously targeted by marketing ("Weary") and dealing with all of these new pressures ( "All Of This") - this is a record that approaches such weighty issues in a manner that feels deeply personal. Counter-balanced with moments of optimism, escapism and hope ("Tomorrow South" and "Runaway" ") the album also touches upon themes like nature, collectivity and community as a safe-haven. Using a hybrid of digital techniques, analog equipment (Buchla, Korg MS20, Poly6, Monotron Delay) and treated acoustic instruments (trumpet/percussion), Perera Elsewhere arrives at an original sound spotlighting a soulful human element cross-pollinating with technology resulting in compelling electronic exploration.
'All Of This' is raw yet sophisticated expression of an artist trying to make sense of these trying times. A fixture between many disparate music scenes as an experienced yet self-taught producer, Perera was an original member of Jahcoozi (B-Pitch Control). She has participated in various collaborative cultural music projects in far-flung parts of the world with the Goethe Institut and has taught people in Bangladesh how to use Ableton to try and create the kind of musical world they'd like to see focusing on issues of anthropology, feminism, community, DIY and empowerment through music.
