Tracklist:
A / Lucy - Rema Rema Canoero B1 / Donato Dozzy - OZ Taped B2 / Sendai - Inverse Array 1
Short info:
After four technically and aesthetically impressive salvos of eclectic electronics, the 5-year anniversary compilation from Stroboscopic Artefacts reaches its terminus with this new release. Worrying about whether or not the series "goes out with a bang" seems unnecessary, since the series has always felt pleasingly unconventional, and thus not too concerned with the conventional act of providing listeners with a grand finale. Simply put, this high-quality 'retrospective' series has been more about challenging the S.A. constellation of artists to forge new paths than it has been about nostalgically revisiting the past, and so it's better to approach this last installment as a statement on the past informing the future. Donato Dozzy, Lucy, and the Sendai duo are the parties responsible for bringing us the final report of the series. Those already familiar with these artists' past works for S.A. will understand immediately that these artists are not all cut from the same cloth, and those who didn't know that will soon find out. As with the previous 'anniversary' records, the intent here is to synthesize significantly different sounds into a uniform or seamless listening experience, to the point where the record seems more like a genuine collaboration between the artists than a mere "sampler" record offering eclecticism for its own sake. Donato Dozzy's entry here is very much in keeping with the spirit of his S.A. release Terzo Giorno. It is as propulsive as any of the best techno music of past decades, exhibiting a marked indifference to the inessential and a knack for smashing together percussive atoms of a thick and bombastic quality. To do so without punishing speakers completely into submission or turning everything into a fatiguing mess is more difficult than it sounds, but Dozzy is certainly up to the task here. The sole synth sequence appearing in the mix behaves like another component of the drum kit, testifying to the enthusiasm for ambiguity that this artist, label, and series of releases share. Sendai's recent work - particularly their Monad XVII EP released for the same label - has set a very high standard for what could be called 'non-orthogonal' techno, i.e. a rhythmic electronic music that impresses upon the listener like an imaginary city built up from topological novelties and huge undulating structures. Their contribution here, though more insistent than the chimerical soundscapes to be found on the aforementioned outing, nevertheless keeps the duo's reputation for sonic precision intact - doing so with a highly energized low-end bounce, half-submerged brooding basslines, and cleverly twisted hybrid sounds. Lucy's track, clocking in at eleven and a half minutes, is suitably vast, and composed with the inquisitive skill of a seasoned documentarian. While some might see such an epic track as an attempt by the label boss to remind everyone just who 'runs the show' at the label, Lucy's piece manages to be highly engrossing without upstaging either Dozzy or Sendai. Guided along by an overwhelming metronomic thump and a slightly hesitant organ refrain, this tense track sends the listener hurtling deeper into inner space with the addition of each new sonic element. Panning bits of tunnel ambience, distorted snaking figures, and metallic ephemera all make bold entries into the total sonic scenario and - as if reluctant to leave - undergo a variety of tonal and timbral permuations before eventually receding again. Not content to simply end this adventure with a slow fade into silence, Lucy makes it culminate in a brief chaotic whiteout that might bring to mind the sensation of watching the on-screen projection of a filmstrip melting.
Now, having noted that conclusive statement, the Stroboscopic Artefacts team knows well that finding the "ultimate" sound would mean the end of sound creation altogether. They are to be commended for not striving towards that end point, and for releasing a "final chapter" that has little to do with finality, instead suggesting more and better creations instigated by the changing circumstances in the artists' lives.


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