Room of Wires collaborate to create an uneasy blend of field recordings, modular synths and handcrafted software yielding twisted yet fragile sounds, woven together to form an exhilarating audio dream.
Twisted yet fragile sounds
Room of Wires are an electronic music duo from the UK, who take their isolationist approach to the limit. Since forming in 2013, they’ve never met, preferring to work in isolation, sharing ideas and sounds over the internet, one of them using hardware and a tangle of physical wires, the other lost in software and virtual cables. They collaborate to create an uneasy blend of field recordings, modular synths and handcrafted software yielding twisted yet fragile sounds, woven together to form an exhilarating audio dream.
They’ve released several EPs and two LPs, as well as countless contributions to compilations and film scores including for Section 27, Touched Music and most recently the infamous Ant-Zen with their album Plague of People. As a long standing fan and follower of Ant-Zen and its sister label Hymen Records—I’ve also been a relatively frequent visitor to various festivals, mostly in Germany where their vast array of label artists perform.
Room of Wires fits into the sub-genre of rhythmic noise, industrial and the experimental electronic scene. One might choose to try to describe it as IIDM (intelligent industrial dance music). It is that for me—an uneasy place where the music stands slightly apart from other IDM / electronica or braindance styles, and owes more of its make up to the modern industrial music scene. Other labels like Ant-Zen, Hymen, Tympanik Audio, Signifier, Audiophob, AudioTrauma, Hands Productions, Raumklang, and SEALT may be of interest to people who like this release.
Now I know some people who might be purists will say industrial music started and ended with Throbbing Gristle, SPK, and other early pioneers, but as we know, music like life does not stop, it just moves on, evolves, changes and takes on new adaptive forms. I particularly enjoy the blend of music the likes of Room of Wires produces. Its construction and delivery typically brings you on a different journey to other IDM avenues. It is not uncommon for there to be a bit more distortion in use, but that is an oversimplification of where this differs. Like most music, it is in the ear of the beholder and I’d suggest that fans of IDM, electronica and techno give this a shot.
A very worthwhile release
Being more specific about Fever Switch—it’s a nicely formed 5 track EP. Starting out with “Never Seen Before,” it has a gradually paced semi-rhythmic shift with nice samples and grinding electronics. “The Lair” moves towards a more alternative dancefloor-friendly or good home listening mode—smooth synth sequences abound, giving it a more modular synth sounding arrangement with some vocal sampling. “Let Him Go” is a short mid-EP track with more interesting sonic elements—rhythmically it’s near Snivilisation-era Orbital with drum tones in keeping with “IIDM” sounds which keep the track flowing nicely. “Let Him Go” could also easily be developed into a longer piece and has me wondering if there will be remixes to follow. “Etnetico” has another mood to it—a slower track with abstracted and caramelized vocal snippets expected to go further, just barely inches its way, and is the longest track on the EP. “TouchToneOne” closes, and one wonders if the title is a bit of a nod to the recently passed away Richard H. Kirk. Thinking here of the Sweet Exorcist EP Testone. Anyway, this final track completes the release with a more moody and relaxed foray. Piano notes and string elements float around this track, strongly utilizing delay effects to construct its elements.
A very worthwhile release and one I will happily part with cash to own physically and happily does have a CD release thanks to Rednetic Recordings. (7.5/10)
Fever Switch is available on Rednetic. [Bandcamp]
