Jeremiah Chiu : Edge Connections

Jeremiah Chiu has been on a roll as of late. Over the last few years Chiu has had a rather fruitful creative run of intricate electronic albums; some with Marta Sofia Honer, some with the improvisational super group SML, and some as a solo artist. His In Electric Time from 2023 is a stunning display of his intuitive and improvisational heft with modular and analog synthesizers, creating melodic pieces on the fly at the Vintage Synthesizer Museum in Los Angeles. And his work with Honer is complex yet thoughtful, reminiscent of headier 80s electronic music. And what he’s done with SML is nothing short of brilliant.

Jeremiah Chiu has returned with a new solo LP called Edge Connections. This is his most vast work yet, bringing in his as always amazing synthesis prowess while opening new musical doors. From contemplative pieces to the closest he’s come to dance music, Chiu’s Edge Connections is another stunner from one of the best working in modular synth music.

“Way In” opens things in a noisy blur of sound and chaos, which leads into funky “A.M. Fuses”. This track touches on everything from world music to techno all the while sounding as if Chiu is talking through the electronics. Like SML, Chiu’s work here is reminiscent of Remain in Light-era Talking Heads. Heady, funky, and forward thinking all the way. “In Visibility” pulls you in with it’s soft spoken melodic touches, which has an early 80s flair to it.

It’s really hard to put a finger on what this music is pulling from. Most early modular synth music was quasi-experimental and noisy, like Morton Subotnick or Silver Apples. Heady and complex, but a lack of emotional or melodic connection(Wendy Carlos and Suzanne Ciani the exceptions). Chiu is the opposite. He pulls you in with melody, while still having the spirit of experimentalism at the forefront.

From the title track “Edge Connections” to the groovy “Interfaces” and the epic “Plastic Mind/Elastic Machines” with SML bandmate drummer Booker Stardrum, there’s not a lull at all. And album closer “Night Fog” is all dance floor rhythms and bouncy melodicism, bringing to mind bands like Entrancer and MSTRKRFT.

Once again Jeremiah Chiu expands on his previous work while opening new sonic doors. Edge Connections is a standout record in a year with many standout records.