Fifteen years later than it should be, this debut album from the Secret Frequency Crew is one of those albums that bedroom IDM producers will be referring to in their influences lists for the next fifteen. It resonates like the founding fathers – early work by Autechre, Black Dog, Boards of Canada and Future Sound of London. Now don’t get me wrong, this is not derivative –this album is just beautiful and timeless in the same way.
The Secret Frequency Crew’s Forest of the Echo Downs contains eleven tracks that wander sonically from woods to dark inner-city alleyways and stays on point the whole way. Sometimes dubbed out, sometimes sharp and crisp, textures and samples are mixed perfectly with interesting, subtly changing beats. The production does not get in the way of the music, nor the other way around. I will give this album a lot of credit because it actually has mainstream appeal to it. Remember walking into someone’s dorm room who only liked industrial and hearing DJ Shadow? Like that. It’s a little jazzy at points, a little dancey at others, mostly instrumental, it sometimes features vocals –it’s got a little of everything and they pull it off.
America doesn’t deserve this album. We won’t know what to do with it. You’ll hear it in New York City, coming from the Ghostly International office in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and on Digital::Nimbus (KUCI 88.9FM). That’s it (stand strong you few insightful listeners in the red states). Meanwhile, the UK will be playing this in every car coming home from the club, in every good record shop and on the BBC (John Peel, we miss you with all our hearts).
If you dig deep, organic electronics, a la FSOL’s ISDN, pick up this release.
Forest of the Echo Downs is out now on Schematic Music Company.
