It's interesting to see how minimal techno has managed to keep upfront in today's music scene, after so many years of mini-revolutions and intense analysis from the media. The normal thing to expect would be that the hype had already gone somewhere else, but surprisingly, that still hasn't happened, on the contrary. The reason is probably minimal techno's ability to evolve and mutate, always finding a new niche to explore before the focus moves away.
Strongly associated with Berlin's vibrant club culture, there are still some other geographically isolated spots that contribute to this genre's good health, one of them no doubt belonging to Matthew Dear from Michigan in America, who already had a milestone in his curriculum with his 2004's "Backstroke" mini-album.
Always open to insert more pop-oriented tendencies in his minimalistic and hypnotizing recordings, never has this fact been more visible than with his latest album, "Asa Breed". Full of vocal-oriented songs and glitch-pop melodies, its meticulous production includes external warm elements to the usual cold and synthetic micro sound details, inventing what could be a synthesis between minimal techno austere atmospheres and indie-rock intense feelings. While a few tracks still sound like sketches to be further explored, most of the songs included in here largely succeed in this experiment, making "Asa Breed" a complete, compelling and involving record. And then there are 3 minutes and 55 seconds of the most intense, beautiful and purest aural pleasure, in a Song called "Deserter", which alone could take anyone to a private heaven. (8/10)
Myspace page
No comments:
Post a Comment