Michael Santos — The Happy Error

From the UK comes an electronic artist by the name of Michael Santos to bring us his first 'real' album of glitch electronics, named The Happy Error, after a few cdr-releases.

The mood that Santos manages to convey is indeed not too sombre, more dreamy and hopeful. Overall the music is soft and calm, comparable to artists like Fennesz and Rosy Parlane, there's relatively little movement in the harmonic and melodic sense. Calm waves of chords and subtle melodies are littered with shimmering electronics. Sometimes things get slightly more restless, like in Supercolour. The glitches occasionally move into nearly ultrasonic realms which makes the experience more physical. This happens a few times but is most prominent inHopefully Helsinki. Or Big Shifty, where the crackles crash into a gentle drone. There's only one time where things get slightly uncomfortable, Upper Cosh doesn't seem to bode well, with its rising density and flackering flares of static.

"Happiness is just an error away" could be interpreted as a hint to Michael Santos' creative process, but The Happy Error doesn't sound like an error at all. Even though there seems to be a factor 'chance' in the music, its mood is pensive and carefully constructed. It's a very pleasant soundtrip, although sometimes a friendly poke at the ears with highpitched glitches, just to make things not too ambient and safe.