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Ken Gibson (aka 8FM, Premature Wig, Reverse Commuter) operates his machinery with carefully crafted precision paying close attention to every detail, every snap and every crunch pounding out of his studio in the “Echo Park Gadget Laboratories”/LA. Slicing the most delicate melodies with rusted beats and left-of-centre basslines, Eight Frozen Modules reinvents electro and tosses it straight into your brain. While the Phthalo label has (usually) concentrated on distorted techno to make their point, 8FM delivers a few in that formation but also packs ultra-clean electro-chemicals into each flowing rhythm. Random Activities and Broken Sunsets displays a digital landscape of triangular melodies that consistently tweak, evaporate and break into the most creative layers. Those of you looking for something other than the usual Autechre/Squarepusher/Devine fix will definitely enjoy Random Activities…. The artwork is impeccable and the experiments tucked away on this CD continually unfold with each listen. Lay back, take in some of the peculiar frequencies and prepare for a broken sunset full of digital oddities. Recommended.
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What’s this? Yet another release by 8FM? Indeed it is, and another chock full of abstract electronic wackiness for the San Francisco based Orthlorng Musork record label. One noticeable difference with Thought Process Disorder… is that several minutes of ambient experimentations flow like water down a thin channel of disconnected waves. “Mice”, “Hort Tubs Ore Horvon”, “Institutionalizing the Scatterbrain” are prime examples of this high-tech ambient formation. Ken Gibson seems to focus on the electrical abstraction of sound rather than the signature distorto-electro of his previous album on Phthalo. Shuffling through this album reveals that 8FM’s attraction to mechanical rhythms remain intact, and oftentimes quite similar to each other. There’s a definite sense of unity on Thought Process Disorder… even with its oddly shaped electronic sound-escapes. Many genres have evolved over the years, making it difficult to lump 8FM into any particular category, so if you’re interested in experiencing sharp, minimal-electro molded to dissected ambience, this album will suite you just well. In any case, Thought Process Disorder… is definitely a bit more “relaxed” compared to Random Activities… but still manages to make an impact on the brain & feet.
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Synopsis ::
“..A disordered beat-box of creative electrical frequencies & chaotic beauty that interacts gracefully with an attentive (if not delusional) audience..”
>>Random Activities and Broken Sunsets is out now on Phthalo
>>Thought Process Disorder… is out on Orthlorng Musork
