At the end of it all what remains is c.db.sn’s skillful use of balancing fluctuating temperatures with such an expansive breed of genres.
c.db.sn outdoes himself with this debut for Tympanik Audio. Not entirely post-industrial, the prolific Chicago-based imprint unleashes a foray of left-field dub (minus its step), IDM-escapism and loosely tied emotive synth granules via Denver-based sound sculptor Chase Dobson for …At The End Of It All.
After having just released a collaboration EP with Scaffolding on Plastic Sound Supply, it’s refreshing to listen to a powerful fusion of electronic spaces. Blending a myriad of styles where Gridlock, Proem, Richard Devine and Mobthrow dump their machines into a portal device, c.db.sn creates a world full of sonically enriched tentacles.
Breaking things down further, a four-quadrant assemblage of audio activity bears parallel resonance to the above-mentioned artists. In keeping with a wide range of sonic tapestries, textures and turbulences, each of the four phases presented could easily branch off into their own full-length albums. The Mobthrow effect is present on “The Stillness of Hours” as well as the subtle rhythms of “Seven Days Warning.” Gridlock influences are shed within the title track, “A Silent Sea,” “Airport [Never_Land],” “Certain Is The Plague of Ages” and “As If December Never Happened.” Richard Devine‘s technological swarm of DSP can be found on “Artificial Intelligence” and the future worlds of “Data Transmit.” Proem‘s rhythm pulse can be deciphered on “A Map of the Human Heart.” The only anomaly is the port-royal infused ninety-five second penultimate track “The Stars Falling Cold” and its beautifully tensioned synth panoramic. The associative feeling that unfolds throughout is more than complementary: it may just be the glue that binds future releases.
At the end of it all what remains is c.db.sn’s skillful use of balancing fluctuating temperatures with such an expansive breed of genres. Smothered in its own distinctive palette of sound sources, c.db.sn continues a darkened trajectory that touches every sense along the way. Definitely an album worth repeated listens.
…At The End Of It All is available on Tympanik Audio. [Release page]
[itunes id=”492477201″]
