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Ant :: Uncontrolled Environment EP (Angström Records, CD)
A hostile environment of fuzzy electrical devices slides its way between minimal sound-escapes on Ant’s Uncontrolled Environment EP. With a contrasting background of experience playing in several rock bands in the early 90’s, Ant redirected his musical focus in 1995 to that of the machine. And on this note we can confidently say that Ant’s broken DSP-driven manipulations are on target and practically invisible. Uncontrolled Environment flows from obscure static landscapes to dense micro-layers of digits, clicks, and blips with a sound reminiscent of Oval, PanSonic, and even Pole. While at times you’re left in a field of diluted electrical rhythms, Uncontrolled Environment is just that: A series of abstract frequencies that slowly decay and realign themselves with every listen.
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Tellemake :: Moorning EP (Angström Records, 12″)
Christophe Guiraud (a.k.a. Tellemake) creates and transforms sound from its physical element and morphs them into a hybrid of complex structures. Thick digital layers of tweaks, bleeps and fuzzes distort themselves in a way that is unique and distracting upon first listen. At moments you get a glance into the world of Tellemakes mysterious melodies on tracks like “Tallis,” but are instantly left in rugged territory when “Camora” and “Cox” drop their distorted beats into one massive onslaught of chaos. It’s difficult not to see the fact that frustration, emotion and fear are some of the factors involved in the making of the Moorning EP. Be prepared to hear fractured beats colliding with sharply progressive rhythms as time slips away into nowhere. Tellemake’s sound is a genre of its own: Experimental hypnotism mixed with shards of electric irritation.
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V.L.A.D :: D’ (Angström Records, CD)
V.L.A.D. made his debut appearance with Warp records on the Motion Institut EP where fractured electro-bits melted with Video-game influenced melodies. It comes as no surprise that this French producer would continue in the tradition of creating sounds that compliment times past with tracks that look straight into the future. While most of D’ uses similar sounding clicked beats and shiney melodic outbursts, there’s a peculiar feel on this disc that falls from the edges with each listen. The hyper-sonic electro tweaks of “8 Bit Bull” contrasted with the brooding curiosity of “Alkaida” shows us that V.L.A.D. can puncture a vibe like no other. Likewise, “Oil Rig” unfolds layers of crunchy beat programming until it falls into a void of silence. At the end of this bizarre piece, a malnourished synthesizer casually passes through closing off D’ in an unusual fashion. As described in the press-release, “The music of V.L.A.D. is naturally marked by this digital world teeming with mechas and Sci-Fi creatures…” We couldn’t agree with Angstrom more: V.L.A.D. certainly appeals to the bleepy electro crowds but manages to retain a sound that is fresh and inventive.
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Fiendish Fib :: Telecom Classics (Angström Records, 10″)
What else happens to sound once it’s been abused, neglected and mistreated? Well, in the case of Telecom Classics, recycling lost voices and torn beats form the basis of this nostalgic sample infested 10″ release. With sounds that hail telephone companies, computer systems and failing transistors, Fiendish Fib somehow rips sources from every angle and presents them in a style that Coldcut might enjoy relaxing to. With each track ranging from 1-2 minutes in length Telecom Classics samples from a variety of frequencies to produce a disjointed manifest that could be left responsible for the disturbance of phone networks and Internet disconnections. Approach with caution!
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