In 2022, electronic musician John Andrew Paris – aka Paris Music Corp. – released his self-titled album. Marking a return to recording after a five year hiatus, the fourteen track record was pleasingly varied, taking in beat-heavy, almost danceable works (‘Whiteout’) to artier sounding tracks adorned with great bass sounds (the Mick Karn influenced ‘Light Speed’ and the vaguely shoegaze like ‘Witch Harvest’), to pure ambient fare (‘New Blue Norther’, ‘The Original Orb’). It may have drawn from a lot of different sources, but it was to the musician’s credit that it never lacked direction. By then presenting his audience with a twelve minute epic in 2023 (the soundtrack for ‘Spectral Wind’), it was clear that Paris had so many more ideas up his sleeve and so much more to give.

Both ‘Wetlands’ and ‘Dark Laguna’ return to the more melodic aspects of the self-titled record, but both should please many fans of electronic and synth oriented sounds. At a little over two minutes, ‘Wetlands’ is short, but not a second of that time is wasted. From the very first note, Paris pairs a Future Sound of London-esque programmed rhythm with a pulsing bass sound to create a solid base. From there, the addition of wavering synths makes the rigid and somewhat repetitive rhythm feel unexpectedly ethereal, while an extra layer of floating synth takes the melody further away from 90s influenced ambient and much closer to the deep cuts from Jansen Barbieri Karn (a trio of ex-Japan musicians whose works are absolutely fantastic should you ever manage to find them.)

In comparison, ‘Dark Laguna’ takes more of a busy stance when aided by some sharper edged beats, but those already familiar with Paris Music Corp. will find it hugely appealing. Beneath the rhythm, Paris layers up a world of sound that acts more like a score for a busy city scene than painting a Spanish island paradise. You’ll find a ghost-like wordless vocal dropping in regularly with a haunting hook of sorts, slightly distorted tones that that play like arcs of guitar feedback – perhaps more sympathetic to an industrial track – and drones that work in tandem to create a full melody, despite keeping to purely minimalist ideas. Some electronica acts would choose to stretch this over twice the duration; in so many ways, though, the audience doesn’t need this to pull them into a hypnotic haze, since its key elements aren’t necessarily there to detach the listener from the real world, much in the way a great Tangerine Dream recording might. Paris recognises this, and his chosen looped melody works really effectively when delivered as a quick hit.

If approached as a primer for the Paris Music Corp. album ‘Ecotone’ (released in October ’25) this water themed pairing is a rather effective one. With one track aiming for purely ambient and the other delving into John’s slightly more inventive sounds, the listener is given a reasonable idea of what to expect from the full length release – but without giving far too much away. Whether heard as a slightly busier room colourant whilst working, or absorbed with full attention on good quality headphones, these tracks invite the listener into a performer’s world that promises so much more. Those willing to take that journey are promised some genuinely great instrumental works.

December 2025