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For me one of the most pleasant surprises of 2003 and one of the year’s best releases was the debut R Cam EP from Dynarec. Highly addictive, ultra-deep, old-school electro at its absolute finest this EP is easily one of the flagship 12″ releases in Delsin’s enviable catalogue. After the 8-bit Dopplereffekt-like intro “R-Cam,” “Phonetic Responses” kicks in. It’s not just the electro/techno sound but the sheer quality of the material Dynarec are delivering that attract comparisons to Drexciya and Ultradyne. “Phonetic Responses” is a pounding, dance floor workout that hooks with its sub-aquatic bass and fx whilst pure, warm Detroit strings and heavily processed voices. Crafted not only for the floor but with a real feel for atmospherics, this is the kind of piece that you really miss after it’s gone.
I was so addicted to “Phonetic Responses” I replayed it several times before even thinking of flipping the disc over to listen to the other tracks. Beginning with “Concentrated Universe,” this laid-back, electro-infused intro track (the full length “Binary” version of which appears on their debut album, User Input) effortlessly fades through to “E-Corporation” that begins the arpeggio-fest that is Side B. One of the most cleverly layered tracks on the EP, “E-Corporation” combines really deep atmospherics with subtle yet complex hi-hat drum programming with superb intensity before it finally destroys itself in waves of arpeggiated synth stabs. Again beginning with a short, this time analogue intro, “Apregia” tops off the EP with another stomper. Mesmerizing arpeggiated sci-fi chords rollercoaster in and out of focus for the best part of three minutes that slowly hypnotize the listener before disintegrating.
With three releases now available from Dynarec on the Delsin label this is neither the assault on the senses that is the devastating and psychotic The Lost Souls EP nor the excursion into classic softer electro that is the genre-epitomizing User Input LP. What we have here is a classic mix of Detroit techno with heavy, emotional strings and old school drum programming.
This ranks as one of the premier Delsin 12’s, exuding a natural finesse and flair that’s worth acquiring for the stellar “Phonetic Responses” alone.
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The Pimp Soul Blister EP – the third 12″ release on the rising Ann Aimee label – is brought to you by Ampoule’s Lucky & Easy. This three track EP (two of which are exclusive to this release) is a teaser for their forthcoming album for the label – Talent Hoover – and is our first chance to become acquainted with the latest evolution of their sound. If there’s one thing to say for this EP it’s that this new Lucky & Easy style takes a little getting used to. Their sound has progressed from the spiky complexity of their previous EP for the Delsin label – I Would Do Anything For A Dairylea – to a more laid-back, freeform, almost jazz-inspired approach. There’s a dramatic softening of pretty much all aspects of their music and the overall structure and construction of each track has taken a more significant turn toward the abstract and unpredictable.
“Blow Up Doll” is a curious mix of popping, shuffling percussive arrangements and odd, distantly resonating and chiming ambient whirls of sound that slowly churn into a solution of analogue chords and pads. Never strangers to intricate drum programming combined with ever-changing, organic song-structure, Lucky & Easy craft, in “Blow Up Doll” a track characterized by its constantly shifting tone and relaxed pacing. “Pimp Soul Blisters” on the flip side takes a more sedate turn, again featuring quite natural sounding percussive elements fused with warm, plush analogue pads that swoon eventually into a melodic refrain which closes out the track. “Stolipon (In Dust Royal Action)” ends the EP in much the same way as it began, with ticking, shuffling and off-kilter percussion, soft organ-keys, vinyl hiss and flittering fx.
Without doubt the most experimental release on the Ann Aimee label, the
Pimp Soul Blister EP is an interesting, if somewhat disorienting and occasionally inaccessible release that rewards repeated listening. Each track has much depth and complexity and on the basis of the content here the forthcoming LP should prove to be a very interesting release indeed.
Samples are available from the Ann Aimee website now, though they’ll do you little good as the tiny fragments of each track that they offer do little to truly illustrate the full scope of each piece.
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Now this is more like it. Friedrik Oestling’s Dribs project brings us the fourth release on the Ann Aimee label and with it comes not only a wonderfully refreshing originality but a genuinely rewarding listening experience. There’s a uniqueness to the Dribs sound that really captivates. The filters used on many of the elements of the music create interesting acoustic effects. It’s almost like listening to a live performance in a large hall that isn’t acoustically suited to the music being played, with all kinds of interesting, natural sounding resonances created as a result. This can be attributed to the incorporation of numerous acoustic instruments as well as vocals apparently recorded in the throes of drunkenness. And how incredibly subtly and successfully incorporated they are. It seems to be quite popular in certain IDM circles these days to crowbar acoustic guitar led melodies into tracks that aren’t suited for them. Not so with Dribs’ work as the electronic components of the work have been tailored beautifully to suit.
Not only does “Prosthetic Limbs” exemplify the features adumbrated above, but also features fantastically funky stop/start rhythms and a bizarre heavily processed vocal sample that’s so catchy I defy you to get it out of your head anytime soon afterwards. “Super Tricoflex” is somewhat similar, with switchback rhythms that clatter and sizzle over a simple, slightly edgy, looped melody and heavily textured, almost accordion like chords emerging to regularly give the track further depth. There’s a deliberate wowing, wavering effect added to the chords on this track, giving the impression that one is listening to a warped disc without the music ever actually sounding discordant. The effect is really quite beguiling. “March of the Earwigs” on the flipside highlights a more overt jazz influence on Dribs’ sound, as a modal sounding bass line rolls behind slightly harsher percussion with soft, pizzicato synth strings punctuating the turmoil before a heavily stylized and rather unearthly voice sample appears. The piece as a whole bears an odd resemblance to the admittedly rather obscure work of the Gregory Fleckner Quintet (who released several EPs and an album on the Clear label). “I’m Your Guide Guido” is the most reflective and least rigidly structured track and is more overtly acoustic despite it’s minimally placed bass-guitar notes amongst the more IDM fueled, fizzling percussion, clicks and pops.
The Open Log Book EP is housed in an extremely attractive sleeve featuring a smoky white and grey 2D>3D design by Delta that features some of the most effective and subtle use of spot varnish I’ve yet seen on a record cover, making this a collectors item in it’s own right. All in all this is probably the best EP Ann Aimee has yet released.
The new Dribs album will see the light sometime later this year and on the basis of this EP promises to be quite stunning. Samples are available on the Ann Aimee website now. You can also listen to a showcase of Ann Aimee releases here.
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