Stuart Howard’s moniker Lapalux is short for ‘lap of luxury:’ I’m not sure what that refers to – but the music certainly does have a velvety goodness about it, immersing and bathing us in a sensory overload of beats, bass and sci-fi invoked emotion, waxing with introspection and emotional fantasy. His latest offering of “post-apocalyptic Eurorack mayhem” ‘Esrevoinma’ is newly out now on Brainfeeder. It’s an EP of six tracks; alternate versions and some tracks didn’t make the latest album ‘Amnioverse.’ Apparently the release was planned many months ago, but Stuart didn’t feel like “it’s the right time to release anything in such a volatile landscape” adding, “I have personally stepped away from all social media for the past several months for my own mental health reasons but it’s a very important time in history and a time for us as a people to change and make a difference.”
That’s the kind of broad awareness and deep thought that accompanies his music. (Note his description of ‘Amnioverse:’ “A record that revolved around notions of fluidity; that birth, life, death, and rebirth is a never ending continuum.”)
In a statement he adds;
“As a person that is white I have been afforded great opportunities to thrive in the music industry. I was given opportunities by black and ethnically diverse people to become somebody and have a voice. It is abhorrent that racism still exists in our society and the simple fact that opportunities that have been afforded to me may not be the same for someone else purely based on the colour of their skin or racial background is absolutely disgraceful.”
In light of the recent events all profits made on Bandcamp from this EP and ALL of his previous albums and EP’s today (3rd July) will go to the various charities that “are among some of the most prominent voices in the fight against racism and the fight for equal rights to people of colour.” A list of charities he will be donating the money to are listed here: https://blacklivesmatter.com/partners/ plus he’ll also be donating some of the funds to the Stephen Lawrence trust here in the UK. In an act of laudable transparency, he will update fans once with the final sales figures and again where all the funds have been distributed to.
So Esrevoinma continues where the last album left off; that is, revolving around notions of fluidity; that birth, life, death, and rebirth is a never-ending continuum. As the blurb primes us; lead track ‘51 Endless Pulses’ is a ‘cyclone of modular chaos that slowly builds, then whips past, faltering, before almost collapsing in on itself.’ I think I get it, but to my mind it’s just very good music: rich immersive soundscapes, carefully crafted with an eye for escapism. Check out the incredible visuals on a hexagonal screen in the video for ‘Earth (Live Version).’ Perhaps this is the lap of sensory luxury after all.
Spotify: https://found.ee/lapalux-sp
Apple Music: https://found.ee/lapalux-am
Instagram: https://found.ee/lapalux-ig
Facebook: https://found.ee/lapalux-fb
Twitter: https://found.ee/lapalux-tw
Youtube: https://found.ee/lapalux-yt
Bandcamp: https://found.ee/lapalux-bc
Soundcloud: https://found.ee/lapalux-sc
