Huma Utku is an explorer. From her early days under the R.A.N (Roads at Night) moniker, she displayed a deep appreciation for experimental electronic music. From the outset, Utku wove together dark ambient motifs, industrial themes, and post-club abstraction into a minimalist yet holistic vision. Since adopting her own name, that same sonic excavation has continued, with a sharpened focus and deepening themes. 2019's Gnosis found inspiration in the pursuit of knowledge, and a hidden truth, a journey presented through field recording, drone soundscapes and ambient electronica. In 2022, Utku drew from her own background as a psychologist to journey through the human psyche. The Psychologist saw Utku further unfold her experimental electronic interests, but was packaged with substantial tension and existential angst. Now, Utku returns with her third full-length, Dracones, a further exploration into unknown territories, inspired by her own experience of motherhood.
The core of Dracones, as in her past work, lies in minimalism. "A Familial Curse" becomes a study in spacing and timing, its skeletal beats and sonic echoes floating like shadows in an empty hall. Utku meticulously places the rhythmic components, as faraway beats forge the track's spine while repetitive sonic artifacts enrich the soundscapes. It is a composer's grip on time as something evaporating yet elastic, where elements slowly appear, giving way to one another, and then suddenly drift out of scope. It is the patience that defines Utku's slow build-ups, allowing each element to breathe before yielding to the next. "A World Between Worlds" sees her command the deep drones and slow feedback, manipulating their textural qualities to produce an emotive response. In most cases it results in a sense of wonder, which is achieved by simple means. There is depth and richness to be found in this ascetic practice, with "Comfort of Shadows" highlighting how simple synthesizer notes can alter a track's structure. Beams of light suddenly appear and swarm the dark drone landscapes, shaping a stellar contraction, an interplay between light and dark.
Yet, there is a deeper minimalism that Utku evokes, and this comes in various forms. First, there is a musique concrete implementation, especially apparent in "Here Be Dragons." Using her own ultrasound, Utku crafts an echoing chamber with a voice narration bringing a chilling sensation. On the other side, Dracones further enhances Utku's cinematic scope. The latter half of the record especially dwells into this dimension. "Care In Consume" carries much of Ben Frost and Roly Porter, awakening a graphic nature through pad synthesizers. It feels as if you are lost in space, orbiting without a sense of direction or purpose. "A House Within A House" further dives in this visual dimension, bringing to light a haunting presence. The tension is palpable here, a deeper struggle seems to unfold beneath the surface. Here, the industrial motifs are evoking a grand tribal procession rather than the fractured post-club architecture of the opening track. The shift reframes the journey, trading post-dancefloor disorientation for something more ceremonial. It makes the journey through Dracones more daunting, especially as the rhythm is further deconstructed and stitched back together in a short burst of mayhem.
Unlike The Psychologist where tension is the central component, Dracones instead awakens a sense of unease. This is a journey into charts unknown, and from the start of the record you will feel as if you have entered a different world, one that is strange and alien. Yet, it does not feel unwelcoming, only unfamiliar. In attempting to make sense of it and unearth all its wonders, you will come across many different emotive responses. These of course include angst and tension, but there is also delight and even hope to be found here. As "A House Within A House" ends, Utku unveils one of the record's most luminous melodies, paving the way for the gentle emergence of "Ayaz'a." It feels like a final offering, a gift upon completing the journey. Whatever dragons were encountered along the way, they were worth it.
