Album Review: Visa by Vladislav Delay

Not so long ago, on the strength of a tweeted recommendation, I listened to Sasu Ripatti's 2007 album, Whistleblower. Having been more familiar with his recent (harsher, more beat-driven) work as Vladislay Delay, this strange album of deep, percussive textures was a pleasant surprise. There is a lightness that pulses through Whistleblower, and really all of Ripatti's work—not to say his music can't be challenging, but rather that it is more approachable and less punishing than that of the average Raster-Noton alumnus.

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The muscular density of Sasu Ripatti (a.k.a. Vladislav Delay)’s first ambient record in nearly a decade is striking. Trailing after a number of genre experimentations, from free-jazz to footwork, Visa is a return to the base of Ripatti’s aesthetic. The point here is process and expression. What ….

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There is a kind of irony to the circumstances surrounding Sasu Ripatti’s latest LP. The story goes that, on the eve of a US tour in late 2013, Ripatti had his visa application denied. With two weeks to kill in his studio, he sat down and made an album. The situation is ironic because, for once, Ripatti found inspiration in being refused access – when his whole career has been built on his ability to fluidly traverse borders.

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