DiN’s aesthetic very much reminds me of the halcyon days of electronic music, when the music was the most important aspect and the artists maintained a real mystique. Electronic music lost some of its soul when artists began to put themselves front and centre ahead of the music. DiN lets the music speak for itself and what a wonderful ‘language‘ it is to listen to.
Moving music in the midst of all analogue modular wizardry
Tone Science No.5 is the latest compilation from one of the strongest, serious and most dedicated electronic music music labels in operation today. Everything DiN release is a genuine work of sonic art that you just know countless hours have been lovingly poured into. I’ve had the pleasure of chatting, albeit briefly with Ian Boddy (label owner) and Nigel Mullaney (DiN artist) in the past and as you often find with the true greats, they’re very humble, genuine and helpful people. Basically, there’s zero ego here, it’s all about the music and considering the sheer quality of their output, that makes it all the more impressive.
There’s quite a bit of variety on this compilation, but like all DiN releases, there’s a rich analogue quality that shines through on each piece. Whether it’s full on trippy ‘West Coast’ weirdness from the Buchla. Sharp, spacey tones from the ARP 2600, or even the warmth of the treated piano with gentle glitch, that analogue richness is evident and thematically binds this compilation with ease to such an extent, you don’t actually feel like you’re listening to different artists all the time. Even though, as mentioned previously, there is quite a range of diversity here.
Reminiscent of the halcyon days of electronic music
Some of the pieces feel like experiments in sonic weirdness, while others wouldn’t sound out of place on a dancefloor, the Berlin School examples are simply awesome and the moments of vast, open ambient soundscapes at times can be breathtaking.
There’s also a lot of music on this album. I know that might seem like a rather redundant thing to say in a music review. However, when you listen to a lot of modular focused labels, many of them zone in on the more obscure options available to them and while there are plenty of those moments evident here, too. There’s also plenty of music on offer and that’s what I love about labels like DiN—there’s real, moving music in the midst of all analogue modular wizardry.
From a standalone technical point of view, the album sounds great regardless of which track you are listening to. The engineering is pristine and has certainly helped the cohesiveness of this very impressive compilation from some truly accomplished artists.
DiN’s aesthetic very much reminds me of the halcyon days of electronic music, when the music was the most important aspect and the artists maintained a real mystique. Electronic music lost some of its soul when artists began to put themselves front and centre ahead of the music. DiN lets the music speak for itself and what a wonderful ‘language‘ it is to listen to.
If you’re a fan of serious electronic music, you’ll love this.
Tone Science Module No.5 Integers and Quotients is available on DiN May 7, 2021. [Bandcamp]
