Clara Moto - Polyamour

Shame on us for not being aware of Austrian producer Clara Moto previously. She’s been bubbling away on Agoria’s Infiné label for a few years now, graduated from Red Bull Music Academy’s class of 2006, played Sonar and many of the world’s leading electronic festivals and clubs and found fans in the likes of Claude VonStroke, Silicone Soul and Paul Hazendonk. Immaculately produced, this is an album that caresses you gently with its warm frequencies and plump sounds. It balances a delicate aesthetic with just the right amount of punch to create an incredibly immersive, moreish feel.
 
Lush strings draw you into the album on Emory Bortz, before the intricate stereo design and wonderfully subtle percussive build of Alma teases you playfully, finally succumbing to bouncy, acid house bass and shuffling shakers. Cute, hollow little synth melodies trickle around your head, creating a sound like Gui Boratto at his naughtiest. Song Of Exhaustion & Ivory goes deeper, like the prettiest deep techno you’ve ever heard, otherworldly sounds intermingling with monotone bass wumps and clicky, taut percussion.
 
A beatless soundscape breaks up the album halfway through - Goodnight Twilight - allowing you some room for breath with its glistening, plucked sounds and wide-open sense of space and depth. It wouldn’t sound amiss on a classic ambient album by any of the greats, such is its subtlety, warmth and class.
 
The album’s highlight is the stunning Take A Second; a rollicking space-age tech house groover that Booka Shade would be proud of. The elasticated bassline bends and undulates and morphs in all directions, punctuated by slick, tight shaker and hat patterns doing battle with each other, while a sombre tone prevails in the slinky melody. So bouncy, so gorgeous and incredibly fresh-sounding.
 
Vocal turns are executed beautifully by her collaborator Mimu giving a dreamy, yearning delivery over the twinkling chimes of Deer & Fox. On Joy Of My Heart she makes the most of the downtempo, hazy sound to create a soothing Lamb-esque number, while Silently is like someone slipping Miss Kitting a valium.
 
It’s incredibly hard to find fault with this immaculate, engrossing album. The fact that this is her debut is almost hard to believe, and it will be a crime if she doesn’t get the exposure and success that her immense talent deserves. This should sit up there with some of the finest electronic albums of recent times. It’s that good.