Aural Planet’s sixth release is ostensibly a remix collection, eleven
tracks that have been spun through the blender by both Aural Planet
and by other artists, though everyone plays together well enough that
Re.work.ed comes off as a coherent release and not a jumbled
collection of remixes. While their previous release for Vivo (5EX
Engine in 2002) was classically IDM in flavor (comparisons to Boards
of Canada, Autechre and Squarepusher were the sort which easily
slipped off the tongue), Re.work.ed is a denser affair, filled with
thick beats and sweeping aural landscapes.
The opener, “Radiosignals (original mix),” tracks a series of radio
voices through a landscape of hazy digital rain with a wanton organ
melody rising like a thin thread of steam from a noisome white noise
fog. “Upsilon (darktronic mix)” is like a track from one of Peter
Namlook and Bill Laswell’s ubiquitous collaborations on Namlook’s FAX
label (something from the Psychonavigation series) — all cyber-ethno
drums, sweeps of analog sound, and vaguely angelic voices humming long
words in the distance with volcanic beat interludes like seismic
eruptions. What takes Namlook and Laswell fifteen minutes to hammer
through, Aural Planet does in less than five, managing to distill the
energetic aspects of the longer movement into a tight waveform that
goes from ambient to cataclysmic and back. “Propaganda” clashes like
the looped recording of a band of industrialists all making noise with
scythes, scissors and other cutting implements while “Necrodelica”
hurtles along at sub-light speed with the burn of massive engines and
reoccurring voices of spectral agents, mouthing slightly Orwellian
statements about “control.”
There are three mixes of “Hydropoetry Cathedra,” (one by Aural Planet
themselves) that summarize the eclectic spread of styles on this
record. The “Audiovideosausge Crankshaft mix” swirls with a bit of
processed Indian raga within a whirlwind of glossy synthesizer
melodies while the “Manmademan mix” focuses more attention on the
distant hum of a female voice and transforming the melodies into a
nocturnal soundtrack for the mercury vapor hours. Aural Planet’s
“Auto Plagiarism mix” is as long as both of the other mixes and
spreads itself out across the sky like a flood of lemon pudding,
filled with rich synth pads and gentle percussion.
Aural Planet showcases the vibrancy of the Polish electronic scene
with Re.work.ed, delivering a well-polished record that moves
effortlessly across its diverse landscapes. This is another solid
release by Vivo, and puts Aural Planet on the map. Stick a pin in
Poland; there’s something going on over there.
Re.work.ed is out now on Vivo Records.
