Epitonic Overview

With the profound mystery surrounding the anonymity of the members of Zoviet France, the emergence of one of its original founders came as a surprise to diehard ZF fans. In the aftermath of a gruelling North American tour in 1991, Robin Storey left Zoviet France, taking with him a broad knowledge of effective-yet-tricky soundloop techniques. While on later albums like Shouting at the Ground, Zoviet France had been shifting into rich dronescapes that seemed to have a fog-like weightlessness, Storey wanted to shift towards an exploration of the rhythmic minimalism of Indian, West African, and Bangladeshi indigenous music. Over nearly two dozen releases as Rapoon, Storey has steadily delved deeper into the mystically charmed arcana of hypnotic rhythms, augmented by extensive use of looped samples, tape manipulation, and ghostly references to the '70s dub techniques of Lee 'Scratch' Perry.

Alchiva and Ochre, from 1993's Raising Earthly Spirits, stand as some of Storey's best work in either Rapoon or Zoviet France, brazenly revealing the dark insistent loops that Storey creates by forcing scratchy vinyl into locked grooves and steadily manipulating it with an arsenal of tricks that he would like to keep secret.

Jim Haynes

Epitonic