Bleep

lexicon is the aptly named solo debut from Chicago producer, composer, and multi-instrumentalist Conor Mackey. From scoring for Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra, to playing guitar in the jazz fusion / math rock band Monobody, and unveiling his Lynyn moniker with production for Sooper Records founder NNAMDÏ, Mackey channels the languages of the varied musical landscapes he has ventured through, churning them into a complex rollercoaster of intricate electronica.

There is never a moment where a new sound isn’t being introduced or warped beyond recognition. As such, lexicon doesn’t feel exactly like an album of concisely separated tracks, but rather a full throttle sensory journey through distant dimensions, miraculously glued together by expertly crafted transitions that transform semi-ambient passages into breakbeat pyrotechnics.

The sonic fury that elasticates on the glass shattering opener ‘uja end’ only seems to snap back on the penultimate ‘amund vise’, entering a somewhat downtempo mode before stretching back into celestial synth explosions. In between lies a multifaceted array of tracks that communicate lexicon’s shifting sound design through the thumps and twangs of alien instruments. ‘in dust’ refracts light and air through frozen organ pipes, full to the brim with carbonated breaks even in its final moments. The metallic thuds of ‘stumbling’ take their time as the track evolves, becoming apoplectic with raging microbeats and bass growls.

As a composer, Mackey is familiar with the challenge of wrangling tons of instruments and performers into one single piece of music. On lexicon, he instead turns to his electronics, employing musical nanobots to orchestrate ethereal microchip symphonies.