Composer and producer Andy Dragazis releases his debut album Afterimages, on Dragazis' own label, Lightwell Recordings. Dragazis is perhaps best known for his albums under the Blue States moniker including the downtempo classic Nothing Changes Under The Sun. Afterimages is an ambient album at heart, with its title inspired by phosphenes - the sensation of seeing patterns and light when we close our eyes. The ten tracks combine experimental synthesis with a string quartet, blurring the lines of electronic and orchestral soundscape. The album evokes the spirit of meditative chamber music by combining fragile string orchestration with waves of electronic drones and scratchy percussion to create something wonderfully idiosyncratic.First taster from the album, For The Learner, features a brooding opening that builds with soaring strings melding with electronic wobbles and percussion. The self-reflective track title echoes the feeling of imposter-syndrome that many in the arts experience. A feeling that oddly increases rather than subsides with experience, For The Learner is an envious nod to a younger, greener but more care-free self. From the heartfelt, barren strings of Butterfly Mind to the dense grandeur of Wavelet, Afterimages is an album where lo-fi and minimal meets widescreen, influenced by composers such as Ben Frost, Colin Stetson and the Erased Tapes label. Recorded at Dragazis' London-based Lightwell studios as an antithesis to the noise pollution of his surroundings, Afterimages is an immersive album full of subtle beauty and light.
