Some of Conner’s movements are steeped in the rich history of Autechre and Funkstörung, others adopt some more modern moments of the floor.
Bitstream were an electronic act that caught the imagination. The duo of Steve and David Conner were active under their Bitstream alias from 1998 but have been quiet since their last outing in 2008. But quiet does not mean dormant. One of the brothers has returned to releasing form. David Conner is stepping out on a solo excursion. Uexkull is Conner’s latest incarnation and Brutal Sunset is the stage for this stark pseudonym.
The rasping broken beats of “Hormad” open. Acid lines bulge and buckle, chords inflated into peculiar points of distortion while snares splinter into jagged gravel. “Keonig’s Division” arrives from a much more recognizable location. Conner’s background in IDM is clearly present. Soaring melodies float over a city of beats in this nostalgia filled work. The bulbous shapes of “Hormad” return for “All-Rac” as melodies are blown into warped images of bordered harmony. “Exer” ends the four tracker. Glitch and breakbeat are again present. Streams of sound coil and unravel for this Skam style piece of electronics.
Uexkell’s sound edges between two eras. Some of Conner’s movements are steeped in the rich history of Autechre and Funkstörung, others adopt some more modern moments of the floor. Aggression sometimes bubbles past the surface but, in its essence, this is an EP that showcases a desire to blend both the caustic and melodic. Tough shapes tenderized by echoes of the past.
Hormad is available on Brutalist Sunset.
