Helium Node by James Patrick

James Patrick’s newest EP Helium Node is an excellent variety of electronic music that hovers around a central theme of IDM. JP is no stranger to IDM, and demonstrates a fresh take with each tune on the collection. With catchy bass patches flushes out with gorgeous harmonious and driving percussion, he delivers a great array of tunes that demonstrate his skills.


The title track is a blend of multiple atmospheres that are simultaneously lush and velvety blended with a dark, crisp, and irresistible lead. It bumps while also invoking deeper moods with tripped out harmonies and background arpeggiators. Brookdale Cops showcases excellent filter work with vibrant and robust bass lines, as well as being driven by an intense percussion section and robotic vocal chops. The pads that hug the tune are akin to cruising along a coastal synthy sunset.



With Hardly Willis, James explores a more experimental side of music as he brings us a breakbeat style rhythm in a field of IDM-inspired sound design. This tune is reminiscent of the origins of modern electronic music while also retaining freshness and identity. Finally, Conduit’s remix of the title track closes the EP with his blend of fast gates and voiced, juicy synthesizers wrapped around a fat hip-hop beat. The song will dip into melody in one moment and then find itself leaning towards neuro in the next.

Both James Patrick and Conduit together manage The Great Magnet label based out of Minneapolis, and together on this release they showcase an array of styles the homegrown experimental label has released to date.

James Patrick is a sound artist, music producer, and educator. He has been creating original electronic music works and events involving technology and live music since the 1990s. He is the co-founder and owner of Slam Academy, an Ableton Certified Training Center based in Minneapolis.

jamespatrickmusic.net