A treasure trove of music has been curated by Suction, created by Erik Jong, and long may they keep unveiling modern masterpieces of a time now past.
An ephemeral fragility permeates
It’s been two years since Suction released Serenity, a collection of RX-101 tracks that bristle with an industrial energy. New Discoveries is different. That rawness has mellowed, that fury has been calmed, the sound has changed. You could put this down to a lot of things. New machines. A life change. The pandemic. It’s impossible to say, seeing as the tracks were made more than twenty years ago.
The LP is introduced by “Back to Zero.” Dauby basslines flow beneath silken strings and a crisp clap. The style would fit in perfectly with the Artificial Intelligence series of Warp, echoes of early B12 coming to mind with certain elements of Detroit also influencing. “Trip to the Unknown” follows. An angular melody is smoothed by sweetened notes, an off-kilter percussive pattern lending the piece a wonky techno charm. Close your eyes on “t.p.o.s.m.” and you’d swear you were listening to Analogue Bubblebath 3. Ambient lines are interrupted by a stark rasping beat before muddy keys arrive to add texture. This isn’t reproduction, simply a superb example of a sound associated with Rephlex circa 1995.
Burbling bass lines have a dusty haze draped over them ::
Despite the album fitting into the arguably sturdier genre tag of techno, an ephemeral fragility permeates the tracks on offer. Take the chugging understated “No Access” or the gentle movements and rattling drums of “Star Tracker,” these are delicate yet intense and immersive pieces. “sys.rx.9.b013” is bathed in a warm nostalgia. Rhythms and burbling bass lines have a dusty haze draped over them, playful key changes and distant conversation samples giving the piece a polaroid like quality. Strings are at the forefront of “The Invention of Ideas,” a piece that calls to mind the daring future jazz elegance of labels like Red Planet. “Voyage of Discovery” is cut from the same cloth. Soothing synth-lines are countered by complex drum patterns in a piece steeped in the electronic history of ambient techno.
It’s incredible to think that RX-101 was discovered more than six years ago. A chance discovery by Solvent of Suction Records. It’s even more incredible to realize the bounty that was unearthed. In an age of instant gratification, the manner in which the wealth of RX-101 has slowly been revealed has been a pleasure. A treasure trove of music has been curated by Suction, created by Erik Jong, and long may they keep unveiling modern masterpieces of a time now past.
New Discoveries is available on Suction. [Site | Bandcamp]
