Stembridge evades pigeonholing himself within genre traps and instead fuses audible dark and light particulate matter seemingly fed through vintage analog machinery.
Derrick Stembridge (aka Drifting In Silence), known for his thick blends of ambient and bass-laden industrial, returns with Desire, yet another hybrid release that propels further into exploratory transmissions.
On “Lie” one might expect to hear Martin L. Gore blast out a few lyrical lines, the distinctive modular bristles and underlying low-end is perfectly aligned and in tune with an instrumental version of “Barrel of a Gun” (Ultra, Mute 1997.) “Parallel” exudes a smattering of glitched sound design and a refined dub smorgasbord. “Desire” contains enriched and chilled melodies burred in tranquil waters and erratic industrial guitar slurries which inhabit the tail end. The aptly-titled “Undercurrent” is a cinematic ambient abyss, fluid keys and ominous streams of data pass by in a foggy haze. ”Consciousness,” nestled between early Bitcrush moments and tightly woven emotive strings is an intoxicating slice of nostalgia. Closing with the appropriate “Echo,” time stands still as ivory keys play a solemn and brilliant note, spreading all manner of thoughtful tones and woven trills.
Stembridge evades pigeonholing himself within genre traps and instead fuses audible dark and light particulate matter seemingly fed through vintage analog machinery.
Desire is available on Labile.
