(05.24.05) Thin Films’ Eskimo, produced by Dan McRae, is post-IDM mutant creativity. RIYD Squarepusher, early (or late, for that matter) Autechre, or some of the earlier Detroit techno (viz. a viz. the balancing music driven by concept, or vice versa) it has staying power. There is a lot of material to soak up here, and it ranges from dirty, almost grime, beats, to ascetic compositions that take some digging in the crates to find these days.
I myself am from New York City by way of a tundra all its own. We spent winters snowmobiling across plains where corn stalks and leafless trees served as reminders of how the surroundings would look when the sun came out. That was where I first got into IDM, although I would not qualify this album as part of that genre. I consider it laptop techno – a man, his tools, and the creative juices that make possible the synthesis of a new compound by the former two.
McRae juxtaposes musical space and density of rhythm in unique ways. Tracks like “Huskies” have a certain cerebral playfulness that resonate in me in the same way as Autechre’s earlier work, or, to draw a comparison that might not be immediately apparent, Bogdan Raczynski’s. The standout track on the album is “Polar Bear.” Playing randomly on my iPod one day, I was forced to pause on Park Ave and 33rd to check the artist. The track is masterfully crafted. Anyone who dabbles in music knows the difficulties of getting a pad to sound just right. It is possibly the hardest technique to master: beginners will create variances of early nineties kit, and professionals often produce original, and yet musically boring, ambiences. Producing a timbre that can sustain for more than a second, and not sound derivative is a real trick. “Polar Bear” shows that McRae knows what he’s doing. Like “Tommib” by Squarepusher, it has that same gritty shimmering sound that transports the listener and remains in the air after the song has finished. As if that weren’t enough, we get a bleepy remix of “Lure of Time,” by Farfield off of the album Sonic Entities (Nick Webb, producer) and another version of the same replete with creepy guitar work and crunchy beats. These tracks round out the album, giving listeners a taste of McRae’s ability to rework material.
McRae takes IDM and turns it on its head. Like successful artists before him, he has dissected the bits of the culture worth saving, distilled them down to essences, and added his own ingredient to create a chemical all its own. Snap it up.
Eskimo is out now on Thin Recordings.
- Thin Films Website
- Half Naked EP (Review: April 2005)
