This almost qualified as something of an oldie, given that it was released as part of 3 12-inch releases put out by Akin Fernandez under the Ray Tracing alias across 1990/91. Discogs make a point about the central conceit of Ray Tracing being that the tracks were a mixture of tempos and textures, all distilled from a single sample recorded off-air from the legendary pirate radio station, Centreforce, which was the co-ordinating power around the rave scene circa 1989.
When I listened to the range of Ray Tracing material which is currently shareable, my untrained ear wasn’t able to pick out the re-used sample. I think it may be something quite subtle, such as one of the hi-hat shucks. The Ray Tracing tracks covered quite a few different audio bases. My favourite is the chillout funk hybrid of Slodato. Fernandez also put out ambient tracks under the Ray Tracing name such as JP-8.88
The Internal Exterior belongs to the catchier end of Ray Tracing’s oeuvre. It’s twinkly and fun with the electronics made to sound like birdsong on a perfect summer’s day. There’s also a Didgeridoo sound across the majority of the track which taps into the environmentalism vibe of the time. The second half of the track loses its way slightly, by trying and failing to take the music in more ominous directions. The final cry of Oh my God! perhaps reflects Fernandez’s own sense of exasperation at how the ball has been dropped in the second half. A curate’s egg of a track, but the good is very good indeed.
Video courtesy of Top Shelf Audio.
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