For those of you unfamiliar with RX-101, he has been quietly releasing one after another gems of classic 90s styled IDM on Suction for a while now. If you have been listening to Brainwaltzera, or Skee Mask, this record sits well in a mix with either of those.
For those of you unfamiliar with RX-101, he has been quietly releasing one after another gems of classic 90s styled IDM on Suction for a while now. If you have been listening to Brainwaltzera, or Skee Mask, this record sits well in a mix with either of those. In many ways elements of Dopamine recall to mind Aphex Twin, Boards Of Canada, and other classic IDM music, but again, it has its own unique vibe. Where Aphex Twin is a bit weird and wild, RX-101 is a very relaxed, straight-laced kind of affair. It’s wonderful, relaxing, upbeat music with lush melodies and engaging sounds.
The Aphex Twin comparison is inevitable given the stylistic era, sounds, and masterful songwriting used on the Dopamine, but I would liken this to DMX Krew and Ceephax school of happy, innocent, and fun tracks versus the darker more introspective stylings of Brainwaltzera, AFX, and BoC et al. Label mates D’Arcangelo would also be a good comparison.
One can’t help but feel the dust on these old tracks, somehow this could only have come from a series of tracks dug out of a dusty bin from decades ago (or, in this case, Soundcloud), it’s absolutely spot-on peak-era IDM. So, if you’re looking for something dark, twisted and experimental, this is probably not it. However, if you want to just chill out to a fantastic series of what could almost be the lost Surfing on Sine Waves (Polygon Window, 1993) album, look no further.
RX-101 does have a series of other EPs—many of which contain some very aggressive acid tracks too, should that tickle your fancy. Hopefully Suction are able to unearth more gems or, better yet, gets the artist back into it again!
Dopamine is available on Suction.
