After decades of quietly shaping the electronic underground, the Dormon brothers return with Colour Kinetica—an album that distills their legacy into a vivid, forward-facing statement. Multiplex’s latest stands as both a culmination and a rebirth, earning its place among the best of 2025 with precision, emotion, and enduring vision.
Multiplex return with sonic mastery
The Dormon brothers (Christian and Rolando) have been honing their sonic vision since the halcyon days of the late ’90s, releasing a steady flow of albums and EPs on esteemed labels like Piehead, Lom, Senton, Progerik, and the revered Toytronic. That last imprint, especially, left an indelible mark—both on Bricolage’s ethos and my own musical path. I remember spinning Multiplex’s Pinghaus Frequencies (Toytronic, 2002) on loop, captivated by its futuristic clarity and emotional pull — “After One” still maintains its stunning melodic-glitch beauty over two decades later. To now see Bricolage bring them into their own fold feels like a full-circle moment scripted by fate itself.
Their latest, an 11-track statement, wastes no time setting the pace. Opener “Bend 17” plunges straight into a barrage of breakbeats and acid-tinged circuitry, layering syncopated percussion with a raw, robotic pulse. It’s a familiar sonic terrain for longtime listeners—dense, immersive, and utterly absorbing—but delivered with even greater precision and depth.
IDM veterans deliver futuristic clarity ::
Melodies unfurl with a nostalgic glow on “Fantasm2-Art-Klub,” channeling that classic IDM spirit with playful intricacy, while “Ache 1.5” launches into a kinetic drill’n bass reverie that feels both chaotic and deeply composed. There’s a sense that each track on Colour Kinetica has matured over time—aged and distilled, yielding a listening experience that resonates with emotional clarity. “AI novox” bursts forth with industrial techno grit, laced with analog glitches and flickering bleeps. A relentless, pounding beat drives it forward—raw, hypnotic, and unyielding—channeling sonic transmissions from alien dimensions.
“The Long Way Ohm” glimmers with skittering percussion and radiant synth lines, creating a dreamlike space filled with digital echoes and sharp bursts of energy. Meanwhile, “Colours” and “Citra21” stand as a masterclass in sonic design, merging glitch-laced minimalism with luminous harmonic arcs. It’s a return to the duo’s emotive core—a sound born of fragmented rhythms, algorithmic finesse, and human touch.
With Colour Kinetica, Multiplex present a collection that feels both urgent and timeless. It’s a refined storm of melodic chaos, a reminder of how electronic music can still move, surprise, and soothe in equal measure.
Colour Kinetica is available on Bricolage. [Bandcamp]
