Andreas Gehm is a modern Acid, with a capital A, stalwart.
Greece has entered new political territory. New Democracy are well and truly out and Syriza well and truly in. Commentators are whirring out possibilities. Hope and uncertainty drip from lips. The climate of cuts created widespread hardship, pushing people to brink, forcing families into unknown realms of hunger and unhappiness. But amidst Rubber Glove Rebellions has come a platform for electronic artistry, Lower Parts. Forget your quantitative easing and bond buying, Athens is calling in the infamous re-adjuster Andreas Gehm (aka Elec Pt 1 & aka The Minister) for twelve inches of anti austerity Acid.
If you’re waiting for squawk and analogue squirm you’re going to have to wait (at least with the opener.) “Universe” is an expansive piece of Electro. Skeletal chords and slender beats are used to buttress soaring bars. The track blends icy winds with lush depth for a style I haven’t heard Gehm explore before and one he excels in. But filth and squalor are just around the corner from this glass cathedral. “Don’t Care” sees the trademark TB303 return. A 4/4 storm rages. Bass batters, drums clatter and squawk scorches. The flip is a Greek affair and it seems that once the 303 was drawn it was out to stay. Anopolis take on “Universe.” Following their excellent self titled EP this group of analogue Athenians bring a gritty twist to the original. Elements of House and Techno are coiled together. Snares snap and levels bulge as the four man team go to town, drums bottlenecking in a contorting cacophony. Damcase feeds the synthesizer serpent to itself as he mutates “Don’t Care.” Distortion and fuzz hold meandering notes, the intensity of the original being re-worked for a raw run-out
There are artists who are synonymous with the 303. True, that little silver box is part and parcel of electronic music past and present, but for some it is a sonic cornerstone. Andreas Gehm is a modern Acid, with a capital A, stalwart. But for this Greco-German outing the fire and brimstone that is usually brought to the platter is tempered by moodier, and, dare it be said, smoother sounds. But temptation is not for resisting and those loftier moments are soon befouled and besmirched by malice and dancefloor rancour.
Universe / I Don’t Care is available on Lower Parts.
