A hyperglycemic sci-fi adventure with a bracing mixture of beats and a soupçon of dub.
Laptop shenanigans. A hyperglycemic sci-fi adventure with a bracing mixture of beats and a soupçon of dub. Aabzu takes us back to a Saturday afternoon version of a time of optimism and fear about space and what might lurk out there.
One half of the Polish duo is well-liked and otherwise soothing ambienteer Zenial (Łukasz Szałankiewicz). Along with fellow traveler Maciej Szymczuk, its previous releases, including Rambo and There’s No Other God Than Rambo! indicate both an unhealthy proclivity for b-movies and a refreshing kooky side. Manning their dual-control flux capacitor, Aabzu showcases thoroughly state-of-the-art beatmaking while playing with retro cues, like the loungey vibes on “Shambhala Vril” and the slinky funk of “Pleiadian Agenda,” from the appropriate time-warped genres. The deep bass drenching “Reptilian Eyes (In Dub)” turns their gaze warm-blooded. The Lawrence of Arabianess of “The Grey” conjures vast, romantic, oasisless dunes.
Alien beep-speak and cinematic flourishes punctuate punctilious funk, dials twirl desperately scanning the shortwave band for contact, over-the-top gamma rays seek and destroy and imagined vintage video game pyrotechnics ignite. “I posses a stellar converter, the most powerful weapon in the universe,” the intergalactic tyrant Sador warns in a sampled snatch from Roger Corman‘s Battle Beyond the Stars. “You cannot resist me.” No indeed. It Came from Outer Space is robotic but juicy, with layers of synth and miles of smiles.
Rounds off with remixes by Phylr and Echoes of Yul. The former’s “Bohemian Grove” could be seamlessly slid into a podcast of Eno & Byrne’s My Life in the Bush of Ghosts, the latter turns desert serenity into a skull-peeling death march under circling vultures.
It Came From Outer Space is available on Zoharum.
