Council Meeting Memo #048

Yves Jates: M (Maga Circe Musica, Album)

Accomplished electronic sketches that seem to sound different every time I stick it on. Cyclical and propulsive resulting in a busy sonic landscape. Requires increased listener engagement, as opposed to being used as some sort of aural wallpaper. “Ambience with teeth” as The Black Dog might have described it. ‘Moment 4’ moved me. SA

Metrist: Forova EP (SOSOSO1, EP)

Hyper computer music fun perfectly sculpted for the dancefloor and nothing else. I can confirm this ‘cos I looked like an utter twat nodding along to it at home. Maybe drifts too close to jackhammer territory for its own good at times. First two play it kinda safe but I did like the sonic curveballs that ‘GMFGR’ threw at me. SA

Forest Drive West: Creeper (Ilian Tape, EP)

Brilliantly overloaded junglist rhythm workouts that border on the tribal. That last descriptor can be off-putting for some, but believe me, this stays in the dark without ever seeking out any form of melodic or formulaic-club redemption. Finding it tough to namecheck highlights, even though I’ve had the fucking thing on hard rotation for a fortnight. Says it all really. SA

Tifra: Plastic Replicant EP (Duality Trax, EP)

Something very retro about this, which stoked an initial reluctance but eventually became its appeal. Unoriginal yes, but strangely enjoyable. Reminiscent of the tidal wave of mid 90’s melodic techno (think R&S records). The title track establishes the narrative but I got off on the almost progressive house mood of ‘Entomology’. SA

Dentistry: LP 1 (Good Company Records, Album)

Utterly lazy of me to coin the term ‘widescreen’ to describe this. But there is something genuinely cinematic to the efforts of this duo from Perth, Australia. ‘Reflector’s slow hard rhythm counterpoints its chemtrail ambience. But all prologue really, it’s the parting ‘Coral Reefer’ which totally sealed this one for me. The most languid slice of dub techno you’ll hear all year. SA