FIS

Under the alias Fis, Berlin-based producer Oliver Peryman, who was born in New Zealand, has forged a fiercely singular style that eludes simple classification. His compositions unfold through jagged, non-linear beats, harsh distortion, and inventive sonic manipulation. Starting in 2011, he issued a series of abstract drum'n'bass 12"s, two of which appeared on the adventurous Samurai Horo imprint. The 2012 EP The Commons edged toward grime while relying on halting rhythms and cold, off-putting synth layers. With the 2013 release Homologous, his approach moved deeper into unfamiliar terrain, its trembling pulses diverging sharply from both drum'n'bass and grime and aligning instead with experimental imprints such as Pan and Opal Tapes. Exposure grew after a Resident Advisor podcast devoted entirely to his own material, much of it previously unheard, followed by Preparations, his first EP on Tri Angle. Spring 2014 brought Iterations, pairing percussive bursts reminiscent of falling rain with dense strata of noise. The two records drew strong praise, leaving reviewers struggling to capture Peryman’s distinctive approach.

He inaugurated the Loopy label with the 2014 EP Speech Spirits, another twisted slab of convulsive, distorted rhythms that included reworkings by Kassem Mosse and Oren Ambarchi. His first full-length on Loopy, The Blue Quicksand Is Going Now, arrived in June 2015 to widespread critical approval. Signed to Subtext a year later, he delivered his second album, From Patterns to Details, which proved darker and more abrasive than its predecessor and earned prominent placements on numerous year-end lists. Momentum continued with Clear Stones, issued on Subtext just eight months afterward and standing as his most unyielding work to that point. A collaboration with Maori folk instrumentalist Rob Thorne, the album transformed recordings of ancient traditional instruments through Fis’s processing into thick, otherworldly soundscapes.