Deconstructing Interference #6

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This is Deconstructing Interference, the roundup, dealing with all the non-metal and experimental stuff that I find interesting. If you want to be considered for this column or have anything else to recommend, drop me an e-mail at [email protected]

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Gaika – Security

The view of Gaika rises above mere genres, taking on a pan-musical perspective apparent since his first mixtape, Machine. Refusing to be pigeonholed in a single style, he constructs his own unique tone by moulding elements of experimental music, hip-hop, industrial, grime and electronic into his own coherent take on contemporary music. Through the complex structures of his new mixtape, Security, the stunning arrangement and instrumentation and the intelligent layout, Gaika emerges as a prophet of our times.

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Aphex Twin – Cheetah

I’m too afraid to say that Aphex Twin is here to stay, in case that proves false and another hiatus follows, but still that is the message that Cheetah brings. Named after a digital synthesizer that was described as “one of the most unfathomable instruments ever made,” Richard D. James takes the description more like a challenge. Through the work he switches through different modes and eras, from his nostalgia on the past, to the full extent of his experimental self and closer to his current day musical identity.

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Roly Porter – Third Law

Also a member of dubstep duo Vex’d, Roly Porter is no stranger to experimental electronic. However, the extent to which he has gone with his solo releases is astounding, and the peak is now Third Law. By avoiding repetition almost completely, he constructs the perfect abstract setting, filled with explosive beats, deep bass, glitchy drums and slow drones. Third Law seems to be in constant motion as if in orbit, making this a majestic exploration through celestial debris and cosmic oases.

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Vatican Shadow – Media In The Service of Terror

Dominick Fernow (also known as Prurient) has released a series of excellent works through the Vatican Shadow moniker, stepping into techno territory. Deeply political in its influence, as all previous Vatican Shadow works, Media In The Service of Terror also marks the more atmospheric of the project’s releases. Strong beats still are present, but the richness of the ambiance is leading the charge, switching though noise, psychedelic and even black metal influences, constructing a very coherent work of brainy techno.

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These Hidden Hands – Vicarious Memories

Alain Paul and Tommy Four Seven started their collaboration as These Hidden Hands while simultaneously launching their own label, Hidden Hundred. Through Hidden Hundred they released their debut, self-titled album, and a series of impressive remixes from renowned artists, a sick collaboration with Lucretia Dalt, and are now unleashing their sophomore record. Vicarious Memories finds them in a more coherent state, enhancing their best characteristics and the complexity of their tracks, as well as adding further elements to their music with the inclusion of guitars and vocals (courtesy of Ale Hop and Julia Kotowski.)

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Body of Light – Let Me Go

Body of Light follows to the letter the aesthetic perspective. Repetitive beats, mechanical tones and a great groove dominate the scenery. Throwing in a great deal of EBM and darkwave in their first full-length, Let Me Go, they follow the direction of their very promising mini-album, Volanta Di Amore. The members of the band, Alexander and Andrew Jarson, are well versed in underground music, and they have done excellent work through the Ascetic House collective, so the fact that Let Me Go is a mesmerizing trip through a valley of hooks is no surprise.

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Hieroglyphic Being – The Disco’s of Imhotep

Jamal Moss (aka Hieroglyphic Being) has been called the Sun Ra of the sequencer, and rightfully so. By projecting the ethos of Sun Ra to electronic music, he provides a unique blend of acid techno and house with an experimental edge. In a stage of nonconformity, Moss investigates sci-fi and Afrofuturism visions, with a high degree of spirituality radiating from his records. The Disco’s of Imhotep is a great introduction to his work, being his most easy-listening album so far, without Moss giving away any of his avant-garde ethics or his experimental scope.

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Franck Vigroux – Rapport Sur Le Desodre

Fascinated by dystopia, Franck Vigroux investigates the space between electronics and contemporary music and its relationship with electroacoustic and noise. Unpredictable in its nature, with erratic changes, it presents a state of structured chaos. The resulting album is exactly this dim future vision, appearing minimalistic and yet explosive, with big sweeping drones and walls of noise. Dystopia has been investigated by Vigroux through different chapters and formats in the past, and the tracks of this album present the final additions to the series in the most fitting way.

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ANFS – The Age of Ephemeral Man

ANFS is a Greek producer, very well versed in the areas of experimental electronic, techno and power electronics, shown also in his involvement with the Modal Analysis (co-founder) and Vanila (owner) labels. The Age of Ephemeral Man appears ritualistic at times, paying a lot of attention on the rhythmic structures, adding tribal percussion to enhance the vibe of his work, and then completely dismal with his power electronics manifesting gloriously in the closing track. The record grabs your attention with its raw energy and its feral state, while the remix of “VPA” by Honzo ADHD reveals an intriguing deconstructing purpose amidst ANFS’ vision.

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