[Flashback 2022] migloJE :: Linear emotions 2 (Tales of time and space) (Dangus)

The IDM association is inevitable, but the record’s appeal lies in the way its intricate programming and psychedelic synthesis suggest not the familiar mechanics of the genre, but the cold expanse of galaxies, the silence between stars and the strange beauty of things drifting without destination.

Making electronic music feel genuinely strange again

 

Reissued by Dangus on CD, Lithuania’s oldest independent record label, Linear Emotions 2 (Tales of time and space) imagines electronic music as a transmission from somewhere beyond the known universe. Bass drones hang in the darkness, synths stare into imaginary distances, and clipped, stuttering rhythms give movement to a landscape otherwise devoid of human presence. The IDM association is inevitable, but the record’s appeal lies in the way its intricate programming and psychedelic synthesis suggest not the familiar mechanics of the genre, but the cold expanse of galaxies, the silence between stars and the strange beauty of things drifting without destination.

“bx,” “ooteriik,” and “pherek ksyon” establish this atmosphere without sacrificing rhythmic detail. “fknohai” burbles in acid abandon, its Floydesque arpeggiations throwing supernova flashes across skittering percussion. “bn2” enriches the textures, while “quazar” pushes rounded synth stabs through progressive waves, though the album occasionally lingers too long in its own atmospheric reverie.

“suwiked3” brings welcome physicality, its Leftism-esque acrobatics and four-to-the-floor thumps recalling the tribal abandon of early Hard Hands and Zoom releases. “vs gn7,” however, relies too heavily on familiar 303 motifs. Rather than extending the acid vocabulary, it feels tethered to a production aesthetic whose once-futuristic signifiers have lost some of their charge.

The real triumph is “sthaangeriia orghha,” where rhythmic sleight of hand repeatedly overturns expectation. Skirting double-time, its groove teases the listener with the promise of a drop or resolution that never quite arrives, making unpredictability the track’s central pleasure. “beseempea” draws on Warp’s Artificial Intelligence lineage, while nine-minute closer “ye” gathers the album’s principal concerns into an expansive final statement. There are moments when influence becomes imitation, but at its best, Linear emotions 2 (Tales of time and space) makes electronic music feel genuinely strange again.

Linear emotions 2 (Tales of time and space) is available on Bandcamp. [CD]