The Oscillation is one of the many aliases of Demian Castellanos, a multi instrumentalist tour de force who emerged from the London underground in 2006. He has released 4 previous LPs as well a handful of singes and EPs. Castellanos aims to constantly push the boundaries and drags the divisive term psychedelic rock to the edge and back, incorporating numerous other styles into his productions.
Following on from 2016 LP Monographic released on Hands In The Dark and 2017 single ‘Evil In The Tree’ released on Wrong Way Records, The Oscillation is set to release fifth album, U.E.F., this Friday on Fuzz Club Records.
Talking about how the new album came about, Castellanos explains: “U.E.F is a failed attempt at making a techno track that ended up becoming an Oscillation album. I’m pretty much completely ignorant about dance music but re-listening to a few Plastikman tracks quite obsessively for a few weeks, combined with long-term exposure to Tangerine Dream and Klaus Schulze rubbed off after a while.”
Previous releases have seen a darker edge to The Oscillations repertoire and have earned them a loyal following. Debut 2007 LP Out Of Phase incorporated everything from dance to psych, before Veils in 2011 channelled avant-garde funk grooves. 2013s From Tomorrow channelled heavier space rock themes and this continued into Monographic in 2016 with post punk elements thrown into the mix, because, well, why not?
U.E.F. is comprised of two 20-minute slabs of subverted, dystopian electronica blended seamlessly with kraut rock rhythms, hypnotic synth drones and haunting synths melodies. In essence, he creates kosmische music for the new age. First track ‘Flight Sequence’ hints at the likes of Neu!, Tangerine Dream and Kraftwerk whilst ‘U.E.F.’ is a headier proposition with distinct references to French electronic maestro Jean Michel Jarre pulsating forth.
It takes a talented musician to put out such lengthy tracks and retain interest through out, and a distinguished ear to listen to them and pull out the finer nuances nestled within. The Oscillation have mastered their art in U.E.F. to produce a work of musical complexity and intrigue that is certain to thrill.
