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A (Blast First/Fusion III) |
20th Century Ambient Drum And Bass Electronic / Experimental / Industrial Industrial Rhythm Techno Trip Hop, Breaks, Dub, World-Fusion (Very) Alternative Contact |
Finland's dialled-in duo drop out of the minimal techno scene to release their most abstract collection of drones and beeps yet. The release's title, A, makes up for the letter missing from their former name, which they were asked to change by the multinational a/v manufacturer. A consolation may be that they got to hang around the corporate headquarters long enough to sneak into the repair department to sample the ground hums and electrical mis-firings from broken gear, that make up the vocabulary of A. Try it on headphones, from the mesmerising stereo perception tests during "Johto 1" and "2" when alternating left and right pulses are anchored by machine rhythms in the centre. That is about as close they get to techno this time and don't be surprised when things drop out of the picture all together during the low level oscillations of "Etaisyys" and "Aleneva." Still, they end with an industrial flourish as the hard bass of "Telakoe" clears the air for the distorted noise of "Sarmays" and random blows of "Voima." Curious and challenging, A's apparently monochrome sonic palette is deceptively wide, with subtle dub and background ambiences where you'd least expect them. But check your system's connections first. |