The closing piece feels like a culmination of all that’s transpired as “Everything Is Turning Into Steam” scrapes up all the pieces in a slanted braindance/jazz assemblage and allows this release to explore a new chapter in the experimental electronics scene.
A part of IDM’s heritage for over two decades
Robbie Martin’s Fluorescent Grey project has been a part of IDM’s heritage for over two decades, he’s also the Record Label Records founder and part of the Katabatik collective—”devoted to cold, dark, and esoteric electronic sounds since 2001.” Smelted sees the Oakland (and Bolinas), California artist return to form with a five piece suite.
Opening with hypnotic technoid flutter on “Nulltroduction,” this track spins a mechanized rhythm as the 10-minute “Mi Call ET” bounces through a smorgasbord of found sounds and disjointed instrumentation. The deformation and downtempo flux of “Assertive Tintometry Unhinging,” midway through, finds a myriad of corrosive beats and pummeling electronica while the modular maze of “Il Mac TEI” tears through Gescom-infused soundscapes and roughened glitch notes. This is where Martin finds his groove, albeit a skewed one, where blistered layers and twisted percussion blend into a unified whole.
The closing piece feels like a culmination of all that’s transpired as “Everything Is Turning Into Steam” scrapes up all the pieces in a slanted braindance/jazz assemblage and allows this release to explore a new chapter in the experimental electronics scene.
Smelted is available on Katabatik. [Bandcamp]
