Kerri Chandler: Atmosphere (5MagLove)

Kerri Chandler: Atmosphere EP

I had such a tough time deciding between the Atmosphere EP and Computer Games. I eventually had to put taste aside and stand back to admire the way that this four track EP from 1993 spread and replicated itself like a virus or some kind of grey goo that took over the Earth.

Being a kid in the ’90s, I was astounded by this record. I had no idea if Kerri was male or female, white, black or some mix of all four of these things, but my rave-addled brain had no idea people could make music that was could be credibly mental and viscerally physical, unquestionably emotional and authentically spiritual all at the same time.

Time and again Kerri had returned to this EP, with variations that replicated like mad in his mind. Seemingly oblivious of commercial motive (I’m going to guess Kerri’s vocal tracks have probably sold more over time), this instrumental EP and perhaps Kerri’s greatest non-vocal tracks would spawn edits or variations including The Lost Dubs (1998, Ibadan), an updated 2014 edit of said by longtime collaborator and confidant Jerome Sydenham (Ibadan, 2014), Atmospheric Beats (2000, Ibadan) and Track 1 Revisited (Max Trax, 2009).

Only Kerri Chandler could go back to the same track a half dozen times, make all of them sound different and make you still want to buy all of them. [ Terry Matthew ]