It is certainly the second coming, of Kraftwerk that is! Well, actually all religion inferences aside – there are plenty of other comparisons that could be made, though this is like a mélange of many good ones. Where did this guy come from you ask? I believe Christ (Liquid Chris H) hails from Edinborough, who knew?! This is a downtempo fantasy, pure and simple, with deep bass that just takes it out. You could call this lush, in fact I will. I only have to kick myself that I missed his set
at Sonar.
“Dianoes Nouveau” is a great collision between Flying Saucer Attack and Matmos, with a twist. Like the conceptual base of other new acts like the homoeroticism in the guise of Soft Pink Truth, or the lab disasters of Add N to X, Christ seems to play God while fantasizing an incidental love/hate relationship of higher powers of being.
“Eezeebreez” updates what the Orb used to be, and instills a feverish funky beat on the most demanding ears, though its ending seems slightly misedited (maybe my copy is defective). The truth indeed is hard to rationalize, as heard on “Odds, Evens and Primates” where ballroom dancing meets the Lone Ranger’s Trigger in a foreign, hyperhygenic space. This nearly hour-long recording is also Christ’s first full-length effort. “Fantastic Light” is like an open freeway that chills the space with creaky voices and percussive syncopation that stop/starts frequently without taking any unnecessary turns. No first effort would be complete without its share of flat filler and “MK Naomi” is just that herein. The track has a few moments towards its midsection that are slightly redeeming, though relies too heavily on hype driven, pre-millennium Tricky influences and bland repetition to get through its dusty four minute strut. The Broken Mix of “Pylonesque” (from his first EP release) is a haunting refrain, a purely extatic lullaby. This mix just drifts and wanders, aided by the addition of disguised voice samples. Cryptic funk to be had as “A Giant Bird” takes flight, rendering us all to our feet, or maybe our knees to build up the guts to explode on “Ray Breakout” which turns out to have a hoola-hoop for a soul. This is where certain references to Autechre could be made, though things are a bit more rounded, smoother, mellower – and no after bite. Again, however, the ending seems to be mixed abruptly, though it’s so good I am going to try not to notice.
Closing with “School is not Compulsory” as it searches and digs for its spot in our public consciousness it punctuates this 14 track introduction to Christ as an epilogue, as if we have known him all along, anything short of a smart one-liner, nipped and tucked, with a wink of an eye.
Metamorphic Reproduction Miracle is OUT NOW on Benbecula.
Review originally published in Vital Weekly #386 with approval.
