In the age of the ubiquitous, manicured Ableton mix, it's no wonder so much attention has been paid to Martyn's decision to mix Fabric 50 live. But to focus solely on this mix's raw, seat-of-your-pants style is to miss the mark. Fabric 50 not only offers a glimpse into the sounds that influenced Martyn's superb Great Lengths, but it also stands as a testament to the contemporary amalgamation of dubstep, bass, and techno. Read more »
A hybrid project based in Bristol, England, Emptyset is grimy and cryptic, driven from within by the region's body-buzzing bass culture, inspired from without by minimal techno innovations in Berlin and Detroit. The 10 short tracks—the longest clocks in at just over six minutes—seem like sketches of more epic versions and may initially disappoint. Read more »
The sophomore solo LP from Danish producer Kasper Bjørke, Standing on Top of Utopia, is a collection of solid, if unremarkable, songs on the hfn label. Known for his award-winning group Filur with Tomas Barfod, Bjørke's occasionally forgettable productions benefit from collaboration, care of guest vocalists Louise Foo, Jacob Bellens, and WhoMadeWho's Tomas Hoffding. Read more »
White Hills' last album, Heads on Fire, flared and throbbed in the peak-era Hawkwind/Comets on Fire vein of robust space rock that appeals both to stoners and acid acolytes. However, the New York-based group considers this self-titled album, its fourth overall, to be a new phase in its evolution. "Dead," though, starts the disc with more of that roiling, majestic rock—no real departure, even with Oneida's Kid Millions playing drums. Read more »
Siblings hate being compared to one another, but it's impossible to listen to Josiah Wolf's debut effort without thinking of Yoni Wolf, WHY?'s master wordsmith and Josiah's brother/band mate. Perhaps if Josiah's work stood apart from Yoni's in any real, audible way, we could ignore the fact that the two are, in fact, related to one another. Read more »
Plenty of people have mentioned the supposed tropical influence on the new Bomb the Bass album. Granted, Tim Simenon worked with Brazilian Gui Boratto (and a host of other guests) on this follow-up to 2008's Future Chaos, and the resulting album is light and breezy. Read more »
Radian are no strangers to deconstruction. Through past albums like 2002's rec.extern and 2004's Juxtaposition, the Austrian trio has taken apart every aspect of their band—rhythm, melody, and songwriting—and rebuilt themselves into a glitchy, experimental post-rock outfit that defies categorization. Read more »
Somewhat confusingly described in their press materials as a "jazz trio," Zelienople may share Bohren & der Club of Gore's fixation on Angelo Badalamenti's Twin Peaks music, but they cut that dreaminess with wandering clouds of guitar-nourished despair. It gives the proceedings a smudged and inconsolable soiled-American vibe similar to Steven R. Smith's music, with a few formal nods to ambient electronic. Read more »
Don't confuse Danish electronic experimentalist Mikkel Meyer with German techno producer Michael Mayer. Whereas Kompakt artist Mayer makes taught and cohesive digital music, Denmark's Meyer takes a scattershod approach to avant-bass tracks. On Bacon, spacious dubstep numbers like "Kotelet" seem on the verge of collapse, crackling with static, brittle rimshots, and unstable sub-bass notes. Read more »
