- Where We Were is the latest album by Greg Haines. He has primarily been a neo-classical composer since the mid-2000s, releasing solo-piano works on numerous labels. On his latest record his focus shifts to the electronic manipulation of sound, that is to say: sampling, delays, synthesisers etc. Haines is cultivating the rich history of 20th century music and is sitting down to nice, baked electro-acoustic ham.

‘Where We Were’ is full of meditative bedroom ragas. Elements of techno and house caught in a non-household sort of vacuum and stretched. In Haines’ compositions, the acoustic space is tangible, it constrains under thudding kick drums. Things line up only momentarily because there is no gravity and everything looks the same but slightly different.

There’s plenty of world music influence at play here. Sorry, to use the dirty term that is ‘World Music’. To be more specific there’s plenty of African poly-rhythms as well as non-western scales. It helps keeps things interesting, I’m sure if there wasn’t so much going on this could end up a very basic retread of ambient music. Haines has a very concrete attitude to composing. Despite the improvisational nature of the compositions every element is set into the sonic landscape with precision.

The 2nd last track, Habanero, reconceives the birth of acid house, it works a similar groove to Charanjit Singh’s youtube famous, Ten Ragas to a Disco Beat. Although it is more ethereal, it bounces in place while the beat is for the most part completely hidden; the fast pace of the track implied.

Playing digital instruments in your bedroom isn’t a particularly pretentious context for artists to find themselves in. The ideas on display here aren’t powerful gestures, more like reflection. Obviously these ideas could be translated to a more outward public direction just as artists like Toro y Moi and Washed Out have done with their label dollars. You could still gloss this craft up a considerable amount and it’s evident in the compositions on Where We Were that such a personal and safe environment has had a large impact Haines’ music.

- Josh Watson.