Recorded live in the Czech Republic, the Fade and Phased EP is a collection of 4 slow-moving dub jams hearkening back to the days of early analog electronica (Think Pole meets the classic Mind’s Eye films.) Pleasantly conservative sounds and smooth string pads permeate the disc — and a truly “live” feel shows in the performance. Unfortunately, there is no crowd/room source microphone on this recording, so the production comes across just a touch sterile, but the overall crawl of the disc doesn’t wear in its brief 16 minute span. The composition of the tracks makes for a relaxing background listen. [Listen & Purchase]
Denver’s Cacheflowe bestows us with a fine collection of crunchy drums, throbbing basses and sparse reggae motives on the Cache, Stacks & Queues EP. Most notable is the attention to keeping the rhythm in the forefront, a technique that is lost on many glitch-themed albums. Drums skitter, reverbs open and close, delays move in and out of focus. Cacheflowe can obviously produce a dope track, but what’s most important to this disc are the understated melodies and detuned synth lines that tear the focus away from the junkyard beats. Stand out tracks are “Crunch Dub” and a very strong remix of “Flowebot” by the mighty Machinedrum. Cache, Stacks & Queues is in the bank here. [Listen & Purchase]
From the pulsing funk of “Capicua” to the droning “Sleep” and mid-tempo disjoint of “Kursk,” Tijuana/Baja California-based Ford Proco deliver a collection of minimalist dance tunes on Diagrama Percutor. Admittedly, I found this disc a bit unpalatable due to some nasty frequencies in the mix and a lack of musical cohesion in a few of the pieces. That being said, I don’t want to draw too much attention away from the strengths of this album, which are the trance-like “drums forward” approach and sweet vintage-sounding synths present throughout. It’s certainly good to see the blossoming of an electronic scene in Tijuana, which has long been known for much less scrupulous things like cheap hooch and donkey shows. Puedes encontrar Diagrama Percutor aqui.
Cullen Miller makes Good, clean IDM. Well-programmed drums with a nice blend of acoustic instrumentation and heady modal jazz carry the weight of this disc, most notably on the opener “The Magus” and the Amen-break-laden “Curwen’s Saltes” – the latter of which features fantastic interplay between the electronic elements, organic strings and noodling trumpet. Production on Stolen Nature is extremely clean and tight throughout. Deeper cuts like the dubby “Devils Anchor” and the gorgeously plodding “Milieu” make this disc stand out in an otherwise underwhelming genre. Miller composes and arranges his music in a way that both captivates and assures the listener — a rare trait that few carry in the current surge of offensive hipster-tronics. Stolen nature may be recovered here. [Purchase]
All 13 tracks on this disc are in the key of B minor – In many cases, the tonic note is droning throughout. To be frank, it’s an unusual key on the piano keyboard and it’s hard to understand why a whole 70 minute CD would dedicated to this key. Additionally, I couldn’t make it through a whole song because the treble on this disc is painfully
present (a common problem with software-based electronic music.) Just because you can turn something up, doesn’t mean you should… ouch! Aside from those most obvious criticisms, the disc delivers precisely what the press release states: “down-tempo, yet abrasive industrial works.” Brave souls go here. [Listen & Purchase]
