Experimental Electronic Music
Some albums get your brain working. You’ll plant some conceptual seed in your mind, and you start thinking or even philosophizing. It depends on the planted seed, how your brain works, mental (dis)abilities, and, oh yeah, the amount of coffee you had that day.
Overall, Cast Down And Hunted is a powerful release where I doubt I’ll ever play the B-side again; because it’s THAT powerful! But that A-Side might well end up on a ‘best of’ year list.
Perhaps yes, these are tracks from the dark 1980s, the apocalyptic Cold War mutual assured destruction never far away, but its musicality is hard to resist. I think I’m in for some further exploration of the Dotted realm.
Sometimes, leaning heavily on the synthesizers, more on the piano, sometimes melodies shimmer around the corner, just as they can be entirely abstract. All of this is done with one objective, and one that he reaches: to play some excellent fine mood music.
Each of these five pieces shows a melodic drift, slow, hazy and shimmering in the background. It’s like an organ melody set against the blurry tones of whatever else is happening, which can’t be easily heard.
Unlike the previous release, on 03 Poland, Ard Bits adds what he calls ‘ambient layers’ back home in Rotterdam.
It has very spacious music, minimal development, and is best enjoyed on a medium volume level, filling up your space without being too much of a presence.
This is not a collaboration you thought could happen or would happen. Extinct reminded me a bit of the more noisy performances at the legendary Maschinenfest festivals I’ve attended over the years. Like pre-Hands ORPHX or early Synapscape. Become reacquainted with some beautiful music / rhythmic noise.
