No stranger to the abstract or ambient, Neil Büchner Jnr – under his Broken Telephone alias – released a visual poem Relics this last weekend in the format of a ‘Hi8’ or analogue videotape collage. As the poem’s opening lines and warmly-encompassing soundscape begin stretching outwards, the slow beats both structure and confound the hallucinatory words as Neil weaves and unfurls the swirling mass of a dream. In an attempt to disentangle the strange motifs of this vision, the listener must determine whether or not the answers will usher in understanding or further questions. VHS footage of Europe and the Western and Eastern Cape complements each line as the words resonate and blur, channelling the Glitch-inspired influences of Michel Gondry and Charlotte Patmore.

In direct contrast to the high-energy, debut single HR released a few short weeks ago, this new release gives fresh insight into the solo experimentations of the PXLS frontman. With attention being drawn to both the erratically energetic and abstractly atmospheric, it seems as if Broken Telephone is gearing up to let loose a high-concept foray into an elusively diverse musical catalogue. Could we expect further ruminations on dance-orientated tracks? Or perhaps even ambient-produced rap or more spoken word? With only two tracks released from his burgeoning solo project so far, it remains to be seen how Broken Telephone’s sonic interpretations will be fleshed out.
Watch the Relics visual poem below: