Cyclic Defrost Magazine

Slap - [unmodified] 7″ + 3″cdr (Architecture Of Sound)

Posted: 20 Jan 2009 05:54 AM CST

Slap - [unmodified]

Old school electro from Canadian Thomas Sinclair, reminiscent of more new wave acts like Depeche Mode and Yazoo, pop music for the robotic age, but just not from the 80’s! On the flip, Effexor Redux has a more modern, harder edge, not unlike acts such as Solvent, having worked with Jason Amm of Solvent in the past as Canadian electro-pop duo Black Turtleneck, this is not that surprising. Released with a mini cdr stuck to the back of the record sleeve, containing all the 7″ tracks, plus two extra’s, Omnipresent (2nd edit) and More (less).

Quirky electro-pop with all its preset sounds set to default. A fun record, worth checking out if you have an interest in electro, nice crisp white vinyl too.

Wayne Stronell

John Smith - The Bird And The Worm 7″ (Static Caravan)

Posted: 20 Jan 2009 05:57 AM CST

John Smith - The Bird & The Worm

Oh joy, this reviewers heaven, to be sent a Static Caravan 7″ to review, and although the music contained does not always pander to my tastes, it always seems to surprise, and I find myself entranced.

John Smith has one of those soft husky voices you cant ignore, The Bird And The Worm is a sweet catchy folk number, while the guitar play on No One Knows is quite outstanding, mesmerising in its execution, his voice almost crossing over to blues territory, showing menace in his lyrics. As usual with Static Caravan, exquisite cover art, a limited run of only 400, and two infectious modern folk vignettes make for one great record. Static Caravan continue to release records of originality, one of the mightiest small independant labels in the world. Gorgeous.

Wayne Stronell

Dereck Higgins & Dino Felipe 7″ (Public Eyesore)

Posted: 20 Jan 2009 05:21 AM CST

D + D

The hot pink vinyl lures you into the illusion that this 7″ will ooze pop sentiments, but experimentation is the order of the day for this release. Improvised sounds and instrumentation adorn Properties, very minimalistic in its approach, while over on the b-side, Ribbons is more controlled, with a warm organic electronic backdrop and pulsing bass, giving the song more structure. Its hard to work out what instruments are used here, as most sounds are very brief, restrained, building the tension, especially on Ribbons. For those who like their improvisation minimal, this is a gem.

Wayne Stronell

Headhunter – Nomad (Tempa)

Posted: 20 Jan 2009 05:05 AM CST

Headhunter - Nomad

As dubstep develops, we've started to observe the glut of formulaic artists going through the motions, shooting themselves in the foot by staying within a framework, one which has turned me off the genre for some time. Of course there are the exceptions, those pushing the boundaries, expanding their world.

Headhunter bring us Nomad, and what strikes first is not dubstep. Lifeform could have been Rhythm & Sound or Monolake, delicate subtle electronics, simmering in a sea of static, a slow dub techno burner. Its then the Detroit influences start to creep in, crisp synth melodies, sharp percussive journeys, and most surprisingly, slowing things down, theres no rigid 140bpm formula here. Its not until Physics Impulse that anything resembling a dubstep framework shows its head, there are still shades of Detroit, but the bass line is straight from 'dubstep 101', creeping back in Baseflow.

Nomad does not portray just another dubstep artist, there is far more at work here, so many more influences, so much so I'm unsure how it will be received by the dubstep diehards. A surprising album, more akin to dub techno than dubstep, but that just adds credibility points in my opinion.

Wayne Stronell

Aether – Artifacts (Exponential)

Posted: 20 Jan 2009 05:00 AM CST

Aether - Artifacts

From Texas, Diego Chavez has produced an album full of beauty and warmth, being compared to producers such as Prefuse73, Flying Lotus, and Dabrye. It is so easy to make these comparisons, but they only act as a sign post, as Artifacts stands on its own, with its own charm and originality, in no way is this an album by a copyist.

Inventive beats sit atop warm melodies, baked by the Texan sun, ghostly female voices occasionally seep through, lulling the listener into a state of calmness… The low-slung beats of Forgive Me and Dame Un portray warm organic electronic sounds, while Dejame Dormir and To Her step up the urgency, but retain what seems to be his organic sound trademark. Milla Ann is a summer breeze of skittering percussive electronica. The Aether remix of an Eleven Eleven track is included also, sounding not dissimilar to one of Prefuse73's finer moments. Aether has a talent for writing many different styles, from downtempo, rock, hip-hop, to electronica and even experimental music, showing diversity is his key to success.

Exponential surprise with this new release, fantastic stuff.

Wayne Stronell