Sound Synthesis - IC 4406

Nebulae Records: 2019

IC 4406 is a planetary nebula, more commonly referred to as the Retina Nebula. As its equatorial plane is about edge-on with our line of sight from Earth, it looks more flat and rectangular compared to the traditionally ring-shaped features we associate with planetary nebula. With a higher concentration of ionized gasses still surrounding the stellar nucleus, it can give the astronomic object the appearance of, well, an eyeball, though modern higher resolutions of IC 4406 tends to blur these edges. If you have good vision and low light pollution, you can spot it with the naked eye, near the constellation Lupus (the Wolf is located between Scorpius and Centaurus), though obviously as little more than a fuzzy star. Oh, and it looks nothing like the image adorning the cover art of this EP.

Don't get me wrong, it's a really neat bit of cosmic design, looking like the core of a blue giant in front of some sort of stellar nursery. Maybe this is what IC 4406 looked like at some point in its history. That's the fun thing about astronomy: for the most part, we're only granted a snapshot of what the heavens looks like, and then as they were in the past. Observed cataclysmic change is rare and infrequent. Much like this label's release schedule!

Right, I don't know that much about Nebulae Records, only happening upon them when doing a little digging into Darren Nye (I think ...memory hazy). Stumbling into their Bandcamp page, you bet your bottom dollar I was instantly attracted to all the fancy, colourful space clouds. As for why I picked out Sound Synthesis' IC 4406 for my initial dive... C'mon, you know by now.

That's right, it's because I was due to get myself some more Keith Farrugia music! Okay, that's more a coincidence, but a happy one, his Unfolding Cycles as Stimulus Timbre a fun romp through more classical styles of synth music. The significant bulk of his recent work has been as Sound Synthesis though, so its only appropriate we look in on this aspect of his sound.

And yeah, we're in spacey electro and cosmic acid with this EP. Opener Expansion 303 is about as vintage early IDM as things get, breaks brisk and crisp, acid squelchy and burbling, and backing synths... okay, they're actually a lot more opulent than the other elements, but hey, space, man.

Noisy Shouts Of Joy gets a little more melancholic in its melody (definite FireScope feels here), Octagon a little deeper while offering a quicker pace, and Breathe chilled-out and charming. Plus, some sci-fi bleeps and zaps, because why not. All solid, all worth a listen if you favour this particular niche of spaced-out electro and acid.

Where to from here, then? Strange question, but I get it: do I dig further into Sound Synthesis, or Nebulae Records. Well, one has more releases, so potentially more variety. The other, however, has prettier cover art. Decisions, decisions...

Urban Meditation - Headspace V

Carpe Sonum Records: 2022

Here's a tiny morsel of information I haven't touched upon yet, in that I only just discovered it. Apparently the whole Headspace collection wasn't released as a one-shot within a big ol' box-set. Initially, it trickled out over the course of a few months as digital items on Urban Meditation's own Bandcamp. Once all five were out, they were consolidated into a single release, finally culminating in the physical medium made available through Carpe Sonum Records.

See, if I'd been following Charles' music from the start, I would have known this, likely subscribed to his Bandcamp or whatever. But no, I follow Carpe Sonum, so didn't learn of Headspace's existence until they put the box-set together, which is where you'll find everything now anyway. So redundant info all around, which is par for the course whenever I get deep into covering Every. Single. CD. of a box-set.

Thus we come to the end of the Headspace saga, and what a journey it's- Wait a minute! It's already over? Feels like I just started! Oh, right, it's that whole 'actually writing a review every single day' thing I did there, speeding up the process. Kinda' forgot how brisk the process could be when I just focus on something rather than let a zillion ADHD distractions dominate my brain matter. Like what's happening right now!

Anyhow, Headspace V, the finale, the coda, the answer to all your lingering questions. Or, y'know, just a charming collection of ambient techno vibes. Mostly that, not really going anywhere this series hasn't gone before. There's a few more collaborations, a returning Rayspark Industries, and an added Sven Kössler, though it's Michael-Turner Craig who gets the most shine here. No, seriously, at twenty-five minutes long, Space & Time easily takes the crown for longest Headspace piece – only Mr. Urban's solo session of Cranial Atmosphere comes close, lagging a good ten minutes behind. As for the track itself, well, it's definitely got that vintage Fax+ thing going for it, in that it really meanders about in a jam session sort of way. The liner notes claim Si Matthews and Dan Armstrong hopped in as well, but they don't get a Bandcamp credit. Odd.

Oh, the track itself? Yeah, it's spacey, floaty, timey-wimey, spritely, kinda' split into two-halves. Sorry, I know a centrepiece composition like Space & Time should be the main talking point, but I just prefer the gentle ambience of In Dreams or Forever Adrift, the peppier Ocean Of Consciousness (with Sven ...and acid!), and closer Embrace's piano touches and synthy arps. Not to mention their shorter runtimes.

So that's a wrap on Headspace V, and Headspace overall. A cool collection of tunes, if at times overindulgent, though never tastelessly so. Could this have been pruned down to at least a double-LP? Sure, but we live in an age of absolute creative freedom with the outlets to present it. As Pete Namlook would say, “Just release whatever you make, bro'. Someone will like it.” [citation needed]

Urban Meditation - Headspace IV

Carpe Sonum Records: 2022

Ah, here's where I thought things were headed. Honestly though, having the 'peak time' CD be the fourth one out of five does make the most sense. All the build-up leading to the climax, with a nice coda following, its a classic five-act structure, even spread out across five-plus hours of music. I guess you could treat Headspace like a streaming mini-series then, including that one episode in the middle that seems to lose the arc of the meta-plot for a time, the unnecessary bit of padding to reach an episode quota.

So if the radio telescope on the cover art wasn't a clue, technology is the theme of Headspace IV. And to make sure you know that's where we're going, the CD opens with a musique concrete ditty of various digital noises and effects, including that classic internet dial-up noise. Fair enough, but was four minutes of this really necessary? Whatever, Cranial Atmosphere properly kicks things off, and mostly follows upon similar neo-trance vibes as the Si Matthews collab's from Headspace II do. Percolating synth leads, steady techno rhythm, consistent escalation of mood and tone, and dang near sixteen minutes of it too. Again, there's some vintage Jarre songcraft going on, but this feels more modern than those seminal '70s works.

Now for this CD's guest artist, this time being Ambidextrous. Okay, second, Futuregrapher having a credit on that experimental opener, but I'm talking 'real' tracks here. I haven't kept tabs on Nick Zavriev since my mini-splurge on his music a couple years back, finding his sound at times a bit too clinical for repeated plays. He's remained active though, and Simulacrum finds him and Charles working a nice spacey electro vibe, while Thought Network towards the end gets more opulent with the synth work. Dang near overtly happy, come to think of it. Really selling that 'Utopian future' sentiment, eh? Maybe to serve as a contrast to the harsher electro between those two tracks.

Well, 'harsh' is doing some heavy lifting there. Nothing I've heard Urban Meditation would ever suggest negative or pessimistic outlooks, and the only criticism of Data Age is being somewhat aimless as techno. Information Super Highway though, ain't nothing but chipper, happy vibes with a bell melody as a lead and bouncy rhythm like that. Man, the '90s were so optimistic about our technological marvels and possibilities, weren't they.

Or maybe not, closer Searching For Connection a little more sombre and reflective as an ambient piece. That no matter our achievements in the digital realm, we'll always yearn for intimacy in meat-space. Relations not defined by scrolling and follower counts, but those all-too brief moments of soulful meaning. Gosh, when did Headspace IV turn into a Vector Lovers album?

Anyhow, this is probably my favourite of the five, though it's not without its minor issues either. Like, how does it feel shorter than the actual shortest Headspace III? One too many experimental interstitials? Weird how that works.

Urban Meditation - Headspace III

Carpe Sonum Records: 2022

Well, I thought things were gonna' ramp up with each CD in this multi-disc album, and the start of Headspace III certainly portends as such. Another two-part track, the first At Home features more soft electro rhythms while bright and bold synths weave a charming melody. Actually, some of these synths are almost too garish, in the same way some early Berlin-School sounds weren't quite refined yet. Not really a deal breaker for the track overall, but I cannot deny being relieved you don't hear them as much in Part 2. And as for this track, if it doesn't get your ol' school Jarre triggers flaring, then you have some homework to do, son.

So a solid set of openers for this CD, but then Mr. Urban scales things right back with Inner Circles, a minimalist piece of ambient music with gentle piano and field recordings. Hey, it's like an urban meditation! Feels kinda' funny it took this long into Headspace to feature a track that lives up the project's name. I kid, but it is a surprising downswing in tempo from the opener, and when I spotted Canopy Of Stars as a guest feature for follow-up Lost In Thought, I started wondering if we were remaining in ambient's domain after all. Don't get me wrong, I quite enjoy hearing more of Mr. Wheeldon's sense of cosmic grandeur, even as subtly tempered as they are here.

Yet after that, we're treated to another beatless piece leaning into modern classical's domain. Well, okay then, if this is how we're doing Headspace III, so be it. Just thought it'd be better to keep the momentum going after Headspace II. Like, if the whole of Headspace was to be taken as one, singular listening session, having this much downtime in the middle could lose folks. Perhaps that's the intent, offering a gentle respite where you can maybe catch a quick cat nap in this marathon of music without missing much. Or maybe one should just listen these individually as the appropriate mood arises. Which variant of Headspace ambience do you prefer this evening: the spacier I, or the more grounded III?

So you can imagine my whiplash in hearing Myriad Things going even more opulent with the synth work than At Home. Who'd think the groovy acid featured in follow-up Reflected Within would be the comedown I needed after (thanks, Si Matthews, I wager). A weird diversion from the tone thus far established in III, especially when closer Nightfall brings things right back down to piano doodling again.

There is something of a naturalistic theme going for Headspace III, whenever it goes there. Other times though, it feels like the CD that has the 'leftovers' of this whole project lumped into, the tracks that simply wouldn't fit elsewhere. Something as ambitious as this was bound to have pieces like that, especially when including collaborations with others. Does this hold true for the remaining two? Stay tuned...!

Urban Meditation - Headspace II

Carpe Sonum Records: 2022

This is the part where, when doing a box-set, I wax extended info about the artists involved, or the label supporting it. Maybe even digging a little deeper into the genre itself. Y'know, anything to fill self-imposed word count as I carry on. I don't really have much more I can detail with this one though. As mentioned, Urban Meditation is a relative newcomer to this scene, having initially made his mark on some Carpe Sonum compilations before getting the green light to release full-lengths. He did float around a couple other labels after (Fantasy Enhancing, Móatún 7, that one that released the Adykt double-discer), but the Sonum crew seems to be his primary residence for now.

And as for the label itself, well, I've been covering them for almost as long as they've existed – think I was only a year behind their launch. *checks* Okay, technically two, as Carpe Sonum spent 2013 releasing a few items that got lost in the wake of Fax+'s shuttering, but I'm talking when they properly launched, with original material intended to follow the success of the monumental, compendious Pete Namlook tribute box-set Die Welt Ist Klang. Boy, it always comes back to that, doesn't it? Not with Charles Urban though, having missed the big ol' Irish wake of a musical party that was.

Was he not yet confident in his music-making ability to contribute to it? Or didn't quite make the cut? I mean, yeah, there were a lot of artists that had their tracks added, some for the first time ever having material officially released. Even with four CDs worth on non-Fax+ alum included though, some had to be left behind. Hm, makes me wonder if Mr. Urban was one such artist, and having a quintuple-LP album released is sort of Carpe Sonum's way of making it up to him. Now that's a silly conspiracy!

Anyhow, Headspace II is where things start kicking off with higher tempos. Even opener Thought Garden brings da' beats! Okay, I'm exaggerating, the rhythms mostly a light pitter-patter of electro, spritely synths and arps the main driving force of momentum. Even when things 'calm down' in follow-up Cloud Terrain (real floaty arps) and Into The Void (darker experimental piece that goes a tad too long), there's still some continued sense of pace throughout.

The centrepiece of Headspace II is easily the Si Matthews double-collab' of Dreaming Of The Stars and New Horizons, and not just because both feature a steady techno pulse as layers of synth arps dance along. Okay, it's primarily that, but also that twenty-minute plus runtime between the two tracks, which really makes the whole session feel like one long neo-trance jam. Final track Flight Home tries ending Headspace II on cosmic Berlin-School ambient grandeur, but doesn't quite hit the same hypnotic high as the Si Matthews tracks achieved. Still, a solid finish for this CD, building upon the very ambient first. Dang, just how peppy will these get?

GGGG - Gazé

FireScope: 2022

Not the actual final item from the FireScope camps, but it functionally may as well be. It was the last record to feature the label's brand of vintage IDM, electro and techno, and looks to remain as such for the foreseeable future. Yeah, Kirk Degiorgio released an album of ambient doodles the following year, but that seemed like a bit of obligatory business from FireScope, not a continuation of the print's manifesto - a coda if you will. Will Steve Rutter's label ever make a comeback though? Well, he'll need to rediscover the creative spark that got it going in the first place. That... may take some time, unfortunately. Even scene veterans can feel the crushing weight of apathy, more so when you're being counted upon to give up-and-comers some increased shine.

Gabriel de Varine chose an... unusual alias for his techno work (man, I hope Google doesn't decide to flag me for it), though I don't know how dedicated to the project he is. Lord Discogs doesn't list many items to his name or any other, instead spotlighting his D.KO Records as his career highlight. A humble little Parisian print, it mostly focused on house throughout the '10s, but it wouldn't surprise me if Gab' felt as much an itch for the other side too. Create a new alias to explore it, get the attention of one of that scene's luminaries, and before you know it, you've got a spiffy double-LP on the market with a cosmic kitty on the cover art. Guess there was worse ways to spend the Pandemic Years.

As mentioned, if Gazé is among the last of FireScope's releases, it's about as perfect an encapsulation of the label's legacy as I've heard (well, save another B12 outing, but y'know what I mean). Opener K-Robot OG feeds off classic electro while beefing it with IDM trickery and ambient techno warmth, while follow-up Cas Contact sounds like a spiritual successor to Aphex Twin's Heliosphan. Which is either a testament to the lasting influence SAW 86-92 imparts three decades on, or how insanely ahead of the curve Mr. James' music remains. Then Broutine Lamé goes beatless, spritely pulsing synths and delicate melodies shimmering about, and oh man, we're not in for a strict genre exercise with this album, are we!

If there was ever any specific criticism I've had with FireScope, it was that many of their releases tended to sound samey throughout. If Gazé is gonna' give us some diversity though, then yes, I can legit say this is will be a great final album for the label. If the rest of the music holds up to its promising start, anyway.

Fortunately for fans of the original Artificial Intelligence, it does. The variety carries on, some tracks getting heavier with robo-funk (120U Piano), dubby electro (Slowdry), spacey IDM (Trip 2 Delinc), ultra-melodic arps (Mudla 2.2), and even ambient drone (Sac Ala Blofel). Man, kinda' makes me wish more of FireScope's output had showed this much of a stylistic smorgasbord.

Placid Angels - First Blue Sky

Magicwire: 2019

I really need to keep a record of my buying habits. Like, I can suss out the 'why': been neglecting John Beltran, nabbed a record with striking blue cover art. It's the 'how' I'm drawing an utter blank on. How did I end up landing on his Placid Angels side project? How did I even find it in the first place? It's certainly not on his own Bandcamp page, First Blue Sky coming out on the little-known Magicwire print instead. Yes, it was initially an offshoot of R&S Records, but far as I know, has been mostly independent since 2017, and has barely released much of anything lately.

It had to have been name-dropped somewhere, Magicwire. Perhaps Simon Reynolds on his Energy Flash blog, or one of the trance forums that still exist, pointing out some tunes that capture the feel of the genre in its vintage form. If either so, then the fact this happened to be a John Beltran album as well is pure coincidence. I mean, you sure wouldn't have guessed it as such just from listening to the samples. Who even knew he resurrected this alias in the first place?

For those not in the know (most, I wager), Placid Angels started as a one-off guest feature way, way back. Sometime in the late '90s, his career doing quite well with a solid handful of albums under his belt, he put out The Cry as Placid Angels on Peacefrog Records. Was it because the use of his regular name was an exclusive to R&S at the time? No, he'd already released an album on Peacefrog as John Beltran prior. Was The Cry a radical departure from his usual sound then, thus in need of an alias properly separating it from his regular output? Not terribly so, perhaps a shade more Detroit than his other techno works. And he certainly felt no need to return to Placid Angels after, letting the name sit fallow until reviving it for Magicwire.

Resurrect it he did though, and boy does First Blue Sky ever drip with retro rave feels. Right from the jump in the titular opener, you got brisk breakbeats, dreamy synth pads (a John Beltran staple), and subtle little samples spicing things up. Follow-up Angel leans more into classic ambient techno, when the beats could still be abrasive and the melodies outwordly. A Moment Away From You slides closer to Detroit's realm, and Vent... well, this is just straight up jungle, ain'it? The use of an Amen Break, sure, but not those supporting melodies, nosiree.

The remaining album mostly flits between variations on these types of tracks, which is great if your earholes crave more dance music in that vintage Warp and Apollo style. Of course, you can likely find plenty of this stuff elsewhere, but few have a way around a moving melody quite the way Mr. Beltran has done time and time again throughout his career. First Blue Sky is no exception to that rule.

Subtle Shift - Farshadow

Anodize/Harmonic Resonance Recordings: 2014

It was a decade ago that I first wrote up something about Gregory Kyryluk, the Open Canvas album Nomadic Impressions. I didn't really dig much deeper into his discography until covering his Alpha Wave Movement record Somnus, which got me intrigued enough to at least bookmark his Bandcamp. Y'know, for those days I was feeling a little extra splurgy on a Bandcamp Friday sale. And that's how I've now ended up with Farshadow, a pleasant little ambient techno LP that wouldn't sound out of place on any Lee Norris label. In fact, that's kinda' why I scoped this out in the first place, in a roundabout sort of way.

So Farshadow initially released on Anodize. Yes, that short-lived print that seemed to attract just about every modern ambient techno producer worth their salt. Autumn Of Communion released their second album there! Ishqmatics released there! David Morley released there! Lingua Lustra released there! Rapoon released there! And hoo boy, did Mick Chillage ever release a bunch there. The chap that kicked this little label that flamed so bright early, however, was Mr. Kyryluk, the album Transient Broadcasts as Within Reason. A year later came Farshadow, then a year after that, an Alpha Wave Movement release called Earthen. He... didn't release anything else on Anodize, probably because the label ceased operations following 2015. Ah well, time to retain your music rights and re-release that material under your own banner.

“But wait,” you say, “this is credited to Subtle Shift, not Within Reason. What gives?” Had to do a name-change for legal purposes, apparently. What, did Anodize somehow still hold the rights? Seems weird that a derelict print could, but then it did take a while for Lee and Mick to get their material back for re-issue as well. Always tricky to navigate, those music legal waters.

Anyhow, although Transient Broadcasts would have been the more obvious album for me to get (because blue), I went with Farshadow as the odd animal on the cover was more striking. At least, I think that's an animal – a shell, or maybe one of those strange cephalopods that can wrap its short-tentacled foot over its body.

And the music? Well, like I said, this could easily have been on any number of Lee's labels, probably ...txt. I've talked up plenty of those by now, and there really isn't much else here that deviates from that aesthetic. The rhythms are subtle and slightly dubby, the melodies are soft and charming in an inquisitive sort of way, and the atmosphere remains tranquil throughout. There's a loose theme of aquatic exploration, which reminds me of Lars Leonhard's Deep Venture, just not quite as expansive in sound design as that record. There honestly isn't much on Farshadow that'll leap out at you, but it's not really that kind of album either, mostly content being gentle music one can lose their thoughts within. Maybe read a little Jules Verne while it plays.

John Shima - The Empty Lands

FireScope: 2022

Seems the label B12 built has gone relatively quiet as of late. This album from Mr. Shima came out some eighteen months ago, and FireScope has only seen two more items released since. The ambient leaning Origins from Kirk Degiorgio was the lone record out from the print in 2023, itself a year ago, to say nothing of drawing a blank for this year thus far. While it feels premature assuming Steven Rutter had to scuttle FireScope or something, it can't help but seem like the label's best days are behind it, their brand of retro-future IDM and vintage, bleepy ambient techno having enjoyed its mini-revival, now done and dusted. Maybe it'll see another flurry of action again, but if not, t'was a solid run of six years.

If FireScope is truly mothballed, it feels appropriate John Shima would have one of the label's final releases. His Elements Unknown single was the first to break from the initial B12 run, even introducing the sci-fi style of cover art that was as much a part of the print's aesthetic as anything musical. I'm always for symmetry in my narratives, and even if this is mere coincidence, it's nifty seeing the FireScope saga end similarly to how it began.

Actually, listening to The Empty Lands, I kinda' hear why the label's fortunes may have diminished some. Don't get me wrong, this is still music I generally enjoy, but it cannot be denied Mr. Rutter cultivated a very specific style to his print - techno that sounds like vintage B12, for the most part. That's cool and all for a while, but when there hasn't been much evolution from that, it can grow rather samey-sounding. Save for die-hard collectors and completists, incentive to keep splurging on records lessens when it seems like you're just buying the same thing again and again.

If I were to take any of Mr. Shima's tracks from The Empty Lands and replace them with something from Elements Unknown or The Lonely Machine, would you be able to tell the difference? At their core, the sounds in play are mostly the same: crisp electro rhythms, smooth sci-fi pads, melancholic melodic leads conjuring vistas of metropolis inhabited by machinery and automatons. John's shown he can go other ways with techno on recent EP's like Tokyo Nights or CPU Modular 1. This is just the FireScope stylee, and you're gonna' get more of it.

And I'm fine with that, really I am. I like the FireScope stylee, and if this truly is about the last of it we'll get to hear, I may as well enjoy it while it's there. Kemx and Desolate have fun little echoing synths that sounds like robots singing. Depart, Desolate, and Mettle are surprisingly chipper compared to how moody the rest of The Empty Lands goes. Sayaka provides the obligatory reflective tune. All solid stuff, just stuff I've heard before, and doing little to distinguish from the rest of FireScope's catalogue. Seems a common refrain from me, lately.

Various - Decima Circuits_Cottage Industries 10

Neo Ouija: 2020

If y'all are wondering why I ended up with a whole bunch of Cottage Industries, it's because of this volume right here. How could I resist nabbing something with such an awesome display of minimalist architecture and all the shades of blue? And hey, it's something from Neo Ouija, the Lee Norris label I'd heard so much about but never really dove into before. What's this? A bunch of Cottage Industries collections have CDs available? Sure, I may as well splurge! Shame I only ended up with, like, two of them. That's my fault though, not keeping track of all the orders I make. Not so egregious, mind you, as this one arriving with yellow on the cover, diluting Decima Circuits' blue purity as advertised! Makes me wanna'... ooh, argh! *impotently shakes fist*

Cottage Industries 10 not only has the best bit of cover art of the series, but may also have the best collection of tracks too. Right, I can't make that a definitive statement since I've only gathered half of them, but for what I prefer hearing out of these compilations, it hits the mark more often than not.

For one thing, it's only two CDs long, which is about the right length for music as deliberately leftfield as this stuff goes. Sorry, but three discs is just too damn much, Clockwork Manor turning into almost a chore to get through (so no, I won't be getting Cottage Industries 12). And a single CD never seems quite enough, barely an appetizer in showcasing all the esoteric artists willing to contribute. Finally, as this is one of the later additions, we're firmly in the era where electro and ambient techno tend to be more of a focus than stylized IDM experiments. There's still a few scattered, but give me the simple future funk of Zainetica's Soyokaze Park or sweet acid jams of Xylic's Basfoldintis 7 over the off-kilter broken-beats of illocanblo's Alma or twee electro-pop of Germain Fraisse's Everything Is Green any day.

Actually, I thought we were in for a real retro love-in after the first few tracks. Night Haze's Abandoning Safety is some vintage Jean-Michel Jarre vibes, while Milieu's Pan Of Green Fables will get your classic Aphex Twin flares firing. And it feels retro including an Ambidextrous cut, a staple contributor to Cottage Industries since the second volume. Soon enough though, its clear we're in latter era Neo Oujia, where the electro and techno vibes Lee and Árni have been cultivating on Móatún 7 amd Intellitronic Bubble start dominating. A few outliers like the urban slowbeat of Keiss' Behind The Glass and spaced-out acid d'n'b of Daveeth's Lélegur and Ruxpin's Ruffneck keep things fresh for a playthrough. And naturally, an ambient closer from Nike Vomita's Nymphaea Alba, though I was more surprised by the previous blissy chill-out track Anna Maggý from Futuregrapher, including a self-help spiritual speech. Huh, and here I thought Árni mostly peddled in rough electro. Maybe I ought to check out some of his works proper-like.

ReKaB - Counting The Days

Intellitronic Bubble: 2020

Does this mark the end of another run of box-sets? Granted, these 'two-for-the-price-of-one' double-discers from Intellitronic Bubble aren't really box-sets, and I did skip the first volume featuring Metamatics and Futuregrapher. Still, I grabbed three out of the four, with ReKaB's Counting The Days at the end of this run. Counting to what? Whenever I finally got around to a review of his 'debut' album, I wager!

Yes, like a few other artists in these double packs, this counts as ReKaB's first full-length – heck, it's even paired with G-Prod's debut in the same pack, Space Time's Bubbles LP. Unlike that French electro duo, James Baker, the man behind ReKaB, hadn't been releasing much music prior to putting this out. In fact, of all the featured artists in these collections, Mr. Baker is basically the rookie of the roster, rubbing shoulders with scene vets like Lee Norris, Mick Chillage, and Devin Underwood. Well, this chap must be an exceptional producer for getting shine like that, even if its on CD2 of a double-pack deal.

That said, I wasn't expecting Counting The Days to be so mellow. I don't know why I would have come to that assumption. The styles of electro I've heard from those other Bubble albums being grittier and more menacing, perhaps? Still, the tracks of his I heard off the label's numerical compilations were rather mellow for electro as well, almost dipping into ambient techno as heard out of the FireScope camps, so I should have gone in ready to chill out on some future-city patios.

Only eight tracks make up Counting The Days, and while about half of them do stick with the relaxed side of robot music, there's some nice and surprising variety sprinkled about too, usually within the longest tracks no less. Space Echo Dub is, as amply titled, a spaced-out session into the dubbier side of slowbeat techno. If that don't get your Silent Season triggers flashing, I don't know what will. Unless you have another label doing the loopy, dubby techno thing as your primary reference point. That'll do too.

Elsewhere, the spritely synths and bright melodies of There Maybe Times has me vibing more on synthwave than electro. Ark goes as menacing as ReKaB will allow, a pulsing throb of a bassline the only rhythm offered while ominous synths and tones permeate the atmosphere. Then there's the trance track Drifting. Or neo-trance, if you must. Or melodic techno, if you will. Or hypno-house, if you choose. Or hypnotic-melodic tech-house, if you wear five different sets of socks per day. I'll keep calling tunes like this trance, thank you very much, but I'm sure we can all agree its a wonderful little space groover.

So another dope artist out of the Intellitronic Bubble camps. Now I gotta' get more of ReKaB's music. Which means I'm probably gonna' splurge on more items from the label. And now the sister label, Móatún 7. *sigh*... Bandcamp Fridays can't get here fast enough.

Various - Cottage Industries 11

Neo Ouija: 2022

It's interesting jumping ahead twenty-two years in this series, giving me an intriguing look in just how much the field of melodic IDM has grown in two decades. Or not, the music contained within volume eleven of Cottage Industries remarkably straight-forward when compared to the more experimental beatcraft as heard on the first edition (also going titleless for some reason, hence its alphabetical placement within my music library). Don't get me wrong, there's ample amounts of scatter, broken rhythms, just not presented in the glitchy sort of way that had been a staple of the series for much of its run. Heck, it was on as recently as Clockwork Manor, volume nine released just a few years prior to this one. Does the mastering touch provided by Futuregrapher really make that much of a difference in how IDM beats sound? Guess I'll find out when I get around to reviewing Decima Circuits (Cottage Industries 10), the edition he jumped into the series.

Not gonna' beat around the bush with this one: Cottage Industries 11 doesn't really sound like a Neo Ouija collection to my ears, but rather an off-shoot of Intellitronic Bubble or Móatún 7. Again, part of that likely has to do with Mr. Grétar's influence, his feel for icy-cool electro and techno a defining trait in those labels' discographies. Having consumed five of the Bubble's compilations (among other assorted releases), its an aesthetic I'm quite familiar with now, so hearing it here isn't that much of a surprise.

And to be blunt, I find that makes Cottage Industries 11 a better overall listening experience when standing it in stark contrast to the first edition. Sure, the twee electro-pop of early Neo Ouija is mostly absent here, but I'll take synthy future-soundscapes over that any day. Personal preference is a Hell of a critical bias, y'know.

Did I mention there's also lots of acid on here? There's lots of acid too, a bit more on CD1 than CD2, but plenty 'nuff leading this compilation further away from the realms of IDM and into vintage techno. If the spaced-out electro doesn't quite do it for you though, there are some skittery rhythms and distorted analogue fuzz tracks littered here and there. Downtempo ditties that hint at the twee melodic side of vintage Neo Ouija too (Novel 23's Step By Step, Xylic's Dinky's Acid, DJ Dorrit's Apotek, Daveeth's Pro Pos, Weldroid's Sandal Warrior Disarmed), but not that much.

Nay, as mentioned, Cottage Industries 11 feels more in line with what Lee Norris' other labels have been up to as of late rather than carrying on with its legacy. It's a whole new generation of artists doing their own thing now, finding influence from other sources. Some of them end up on Intellitronic Bubble, others end up on Móatún 7, while a few continue wandering the wilds of label hopping. For those hoping for a little extra shine on an established brand, however, it seems Cottage Industries will always be here for them.

Various - Clockwork Manor (Cottage Industries 9)

Neo Ouija: 2019

As mentioned in my first review of a Cottage Industries, the Neo Ouija series has pretty much become the label's sole output in recent years. Really, it's kind of funny Lee Norris would dust off the old print just for this reason. Then again, he's got so many labels and affiliates since this one's early '00s heyday, I doubt he'd be able to keep track of what artists should go where and so on.

Yeah, its relaunch probably had as much to do with releasing new Norken and Metamatics material than anything else, but why waste the opportunity to bring other talents into the fold, even if its only via compilations. Still, it must have proved successful, as after the first couple Cottage Industries tested the waters with single CD options, the ninth edition, Clockwork Manor, goes hog wild with a triple-disc, thirty-six track extravaganza. Or overload, depending on what your enjoyment threshold is for various forms of experimental IDM glitch-pop.

Of these thirty-six, I only recognize a handful of names: John Tejada, Ambidextrous, Ruxpin, Drøn. That led me to believe I was dealing with a bunch of new artists, the compilation going out of its way to highlight up and comers. Yet clicking through most of their Discogs entries, that's hardly the case, many actively releasing material throughout the '10s. They may have been extremely obscure, getting shine on Neo Ouija their biggest break and all, but still, some spent in the trenches getting there is good.

This is also one of those collections of music where you could assign a unique genre to every single track, if you're anal-retentive enough about music classification. I gave a very generalized style-salad above, but that's only scratching the surface. There's honestly something enjoyable for everyone here. Randomly picked, there's Boards-like downtempo (Velum's Break Infinis) or confounding skitter-skatter beatcraft (BLN's Ly Oc) or noisy electro (Carbinax' Capable Beast) or shuffly frigid-acid (Octavcat's Icefield) or clicky mood music (h7 buffer's Qwon Trill). Only duff I recall is a lone dubstep track, 4D3x from Dialed, sounding like an out-of-place 'alleyway toff' among so much undeniably dorky music.

If there's this much music worth discussing across three CDs, why don't I split this review up as I've done in the past? Well, despite ordering the 3CD option off Bandcamp, I never received them (not the first time this happened from this label, sadly), leaving me with the thirty-six track digital version. And believe you me, when trying to sit down and take in nearly three hours of this stuff, a lot of it kinda' mushes into your brain. Matters aren't helped when the sonic diversity is wildly abrupt, with track lengths averaging four-to-six minute, such that material doesn't have much chance of standing out in single playthroughs. Frankly, I often felt like I was listening to a glorified label sampler rather than a thematic compilation. Which kinda' sums up my thoughts about most mega-massive 'streaming playlist' collections of the modern era.

Various - Annexe (Cottage Industries 2)

Neo Ouija: 2002/2020

Though the original run of Neo Ouija never made a huge splash across the world of electronic music, it was successful enough to garner a dedicated cult following while it lasted. Among the various releases that helped solidify said following was a series of compilations called Cottage Industries, three volumes worth springing forth during its initial heyday. Whenever the label would stir awake after many years absence, it was usually a Cottage Industries collection that would declare its arrival.

In fact, it's about all that Neo Ouija releases now, including digital uploads and CD re-issues of the early editions. I even bought a few, but for some reason, those CDs never showed up. Hmm, are those the items that got switched for all those Intellitronic Bubble CDs? I swear, I appreciate all the various labels Lee Norris juggles with these days, but there's sadly been a few too many missing orders as of late for me to buy any more from them. One more reason to just stick with digital, I guess.

Annexe (Cottage Industries 2) came out two decades ago, and boy does looking at the track list ever feel like a time warp. So many names within the ambient techno and IDM scene getting their start here: Sense, Ambidextrous, Bauri... Erm, that's honestly all I recognize off hand. Hey, can't be a proper cult label known for giving ultra-obscure artists within your scene their starts if you don't have a compilation series doing the work for you. Like, where would the likes of Biosphere, Autechre, Black Dog, and Speedy J be without Artificial Intelligence, right? Okay, pretty well-off regardless, but you know what I mean.

And just because I'm not familiar with them doesn't mean some of the featured artists didn't have fruitful future careers. Yeah, names like Phonex, Idmonster, Sica, Pem, and Qeshi didn't amount to much after, but Yellow6, Maps & Diagrams, Kettel, and Ilkae remain active to this day. By and large though, many of the acts on Annexe had respectable output throughout the '00s before petering off as the '10s took hold. So it goes.

Ah yes, the music. Lots of simple, charming IDM and melodic, glitchy techno. It feels like Neo Ouija was throwing a little bit of everything into the original double-discer, which is great in providing variety. When you're dealing with music as esoteric as this, however, much of it can slip on by during a casual listen. So it's no surprise tracks with more melody in them (Sense's Icyltap, ENV(itre)'s Atodeq, Kettel's Nestingbox Seventeen, Qeshi's Island Dryad, Maps & Diagrams vs Pem's Orteip) stick with me more than the more experimental stuff (Qeshi's Schem, Sica's Mykeys, Tandy's Bell_Libbing). One thing's for sure, if you like your micro-pop rhythms, Annexe has you covered but good. Xela's Don't Talk To Strangers, Bauri's Neo Robot Party Crash, EU's Lytop, Ilkae's Pilve, and so on. Not that it's surprising, the early 2000's pretty much peak micro-pop within IDM circles. Darn clicks 'n' cuts hype machine...

Various - 021025

Intellitronic Bubble: 2021

I cannot deny being a bit put off by Intellitronic Bubble's change of cover art. Right, there's only so much they could do with black and white photos of folks blowing bubbles, but it was a unique theme, one I'm sure could have carried on for at least a few more editions. Get real creative with it, y'know? Like, have someone pose with a bubble-maker in front of a Icelandic lava field! Or just feature bubbles in various sizes and numbers, maybe with nifty reflections of brutalist architecture! Just something other than whatever it is they currently got going on. At least the label's Bubble Flowers series has maintained a flower theme thus far, even if it's a lone dandelion sprouting from a crack in pavement. Nay, their mainline compilations instead get various shades of brown and burgundy.

Okay, I'm picking at the nittiest of nits in that paragraph, because I honestly have little else to criticize about 021025. All the things I claimed needed to happen for this series to show growth and evolution pretty much happen on this CD. A greater variety of fresh artists? Got 'em. Less reliance on pure electro retroism and ambient techno familiarity? Sorted. Erm, I think those were the only two major ones, and even calling those 'complaints' is a stretch. More like hopeful conditionals to keep me engaged with this label long-term.

The returning regulars are as expected: Futuregrapher, _Nyquist, and ReKaB (but no G-Prod). Considering that's all, it leaves plenty of room for other names to make the cut. And even then, their contributions are rather different to the sort of electro and techno heard prior. Futuregrapher's Norðurmýri has something of an urgent, paranoid feel going for it, all the while riding a rather smooth rhythm. Later, his Qualopec prominently features rather simple acid, with a splashy beat and subtle hum in support. Meanwhile, _Nyquist tones back his usual acid workouts for something almost trancey, in a bouncy techno sort of way. ReKaB also gets two tracks, and they're ultra-chill, Sky High proper ambient techno for the downtempo sect, Trying To Cope only a smidge brisker. A couple other returning names include Rob Belleville and Orang Volante, providing the proper Detroit nods.

Rounding out everyone else are names like Xylic, KEDA8, ENUIT, Akero, k_schreiber, and CNTRLD MND. Some do regular ol' electro jams, while others really stretch into the experimental side of the genre, even splicing with others. Hell, Stefan Kibellus' Fog almost sounds like what would happen if The Bug went electro. And what's this Krystian Shek As Usual, dropping some Ultimae Records' dub techno vibes into the electro party? Hmm, I've seen that name a bunch on Carpe Sonum Records. May need to investigate further. Does he have any CDs with blue cover art?

021025 proves mixing things up yields positive results. Granted, this CD may be a bit too chill if you prefer your electro body jackin', but I'll take variety over over-reliant repetition any day.

Various - 016020

Intellitronic Bubble: 2021

Well, that didn't take long. Not that it's a bad thing, per se, I just felt the Intellitronic Bubble showcase could stand to see more artist diversity as the editions carried on. Yet here we are in the fourth edition, 016020, and we're right back with familiar names as featured in the first two. And, as such, we're right back to leaning more into the ambient techno side of electro than the pure robot fetishism as heard on 011015. Then again, I couldn't help but quibble that that CD was almost too dedicated to the mechanical menace aesthetic, so what do I know? Always gotta' find something to pick nits about, always.

I suppose that's how many electronic music labels shake out though: a core set of artists that keep the print afloat, with sprinklings of outside talent given their chance to shine. I got so used to ambient and IDM prints featuring a wide variety of producers, I just assumed the same would be true of any of Lee Norris' joints. And who knows, maybe that will come to pass with Intellitronic Bubble as well, but I'm having some doubts. It simply may be the nature of these particular genres, electro rather insular within its core scenes, versus the near free-for-all ambient and dub techno seems to enjoy online.

So returning names for the fourth round-up of Intellitronic Bubble releases include Futuregrapher (of course), _Nyquist, G-Prod, ReKaB, and Mr. Norris operating under Metamatics (what, no Norken?). Lloyd Stellar and Konerytmi also return, providing the more twee, synth-poppy side of electro, while Mick Chillage comes back as... Mick Chillage? Wait, don't tell me his dedicated electro alias The Shape is moth-balled? That's the whole reason for having a genre-specific handle!

Since we're well versed in all these artists' style, let's focus on the new additions. There's The Droid and Info, about as generic of electro aliases as it gets, which Lord Discogs confirms with these being the fifth and tenth such instance of such aliases, respectably. They're also solid electro numbers, the latter getting a little more Detroit-melodic, if that's any way to describe techno. Same can be said for Dokun's Build Boards, which is actually Darren McClure (add another from the extended Lee Norris metaverse). More anonymous is Mr. Signout, his bass-heavy Unknown giving us some proper trunk-rattling representation. Bound By Endogamy is a name I feel like I've seen, but their Discogs data is skint. Regardless, enjoy their way experimental slice of broken-beat techno with Mir Laine.

The track that really turned my head was closer Signal Flows Back from Komarebi. You know that brand of Balearic-leaning future garage most associate with Bicep these days? Think that, but with an electro sheen. Now that's the genre exploration vital for an upstart label!

So once again, another compilation with little to dislike, but hard to give heaping praise upon either. It's all solid stuff, and enjoyable while played – it just won't convince the unconverted machine lovers either.

Various - 006010

Intellitronic Bubble: 2020

Brace yourself, one more 'discography dive' is coming. Did I buy another box-set? Purchase a package deal? Acquire a collection of discounted compact discs? Nah, the truth is rather mundane. Some may recall me covering an Intellitronic Bubble compilation called 001005, essentially a label showcase of their first five singles released on vinyl. They never stopped making them, each subsequent CD coming out after an additional five new EPs, and I never stopped collecting them. Only thing is, because they remain numerically titled, they got slotted into my alphabetical queue way back at the top of it, patiently waiting until I finally looped around. That time has now come, and, well, I gathered up five more since then. Seems appropriate.

As 006010 gathers up the then-latest five EPs out of Intellitronic Bubble, it doesn't have much new compared to the first set. Which I guess makes sense for a young label still relying on trusted, familiar names hanging out within the same circles as Lee Norris and Árni Grétar. It takes time for a retro-leaning electro and techno label to make enough of a name for itself such that it lures in other producers looking to contribute. Yet with the print pushing out wax at about two releases a month, not to mention all those double-album items for a spell there, the early roster was a little skint with fresh faces. Don't come into 006010 expecting much different than 001005, is what I'm saying. And hey, if you're all the more down for an extra round of their tasty electro and Detroitism, all the better.

As with the first, the second kicks off with a Milieu track, and it's... much lighter and twee? Wow, this is some real synth-pop chipper vibe going on here, a rather bit like some of the stuff I heard out of Solvent's label. Well, whatever, ReKab (with Mihail P on the rub) once again brings the follow-up, and Is This The Year is as pure a slice of vintage Detroit techno as you could ever hope to hear in the current decade Elsewhere, _Nyquist brings his touch of ambient techno to the electro party, Devroka brings the shoulder-shakin' electro, and G-Prod drops two ultra-deep space-bass tunes. You already knew that though, what with me having recently covered their albums.

All the others, then, what do we get? Black Data's Wireless Connection reminds me of that turn-of-the-millennium strain of stripped, sleazy electro, though I'm hesitant to lump it into the actual electroclash camps. 01Cerulean's Icy is, well, definitely icy, in a bouncy, acidy sort of way. I can't help but sense a little Drexciya inspiration from Orang Volante's Planktro (it's the title, yo'!), while Scape One's Different Worlds, Same Stories keeps up firmly in the outer atmosphere of sky-craft cruisin'.

While I'd recommend getting both, if you have to only get one, I think 006010 the stronger collection of tunes. Everyone involved feels more assured in what Intellitronic Bubble's manifesto will entail at this point.

Autumn Of Communion - 2

Anodize/Fantasy Enhancing: 2013/2022

For the longest time, I regarded this AoC album as one of their hardest items to procure. Yes, even more than the Autumn Of Communion debut on Fax+. Their second album on Anodize though? Forget about it. Never mind the short-lived ambient techno label is cultish even on the 'cult ambient techno label' spectrum, existing a mere two years and thus rendering their CDs extremely rare. Nay, saddle on the fact Autumn Of Communion 2 was released in a tin box, upping the 'collector's item' factor, creating one pricey item on the resell market. Definitely one in need of a reissue for those desiring a hard copy version, is what I'm saying.

It took nearly a decade (ignore the AoC box-set for now), but we finally got that reissue on Fantasy Enhancing. The first four Autumn Of Communion albums, in fact, with more on the way? Eh, I don't know if 5 and 6 really need them, but I see Polydeuces got one too. Point being, nearly everything worth having gets reissued eventually, if you're patient enough. One doesn't really need to break the bank on out-of-print items if you're a regular consumer of musical products. But man, some of those old, vintage tins, sure look nice and unique on one's shelves...

Anyway, Autumn Of Communion 2 is a great album, possibly the best of the duo's first run of numbered LPs. Not that the first and 4 are slouches, but if I were to do one of my 'Sportsing Survey' rankings, 2 would definitely rank tops.

For one thing, it refines most of what was presented on the debut, creating a much stronger flow between tracks. The Intervals, for example, are more evenly spaced, and feel like proper pauses between centrepiece tracks rather than sonic doodles there for their own sake. And while some may find them hokey, I quite like the included vocal samples of science talk and sci-fi jargon – really lends itself to that classic Fax+ vibe that inspired Lee and Mick's desire to work together in this project.

Opener Interpreter Of The Signs really hits those vintage Pete Namlook notes, what with the soft, slightly dubby beatcraft and spacious, spacey synths. So Powerful In The Mass gets more ambient techno, but does last a tad long at seventeen minutes in length, while Communion Signal does the tranquil, bleepy ambient for about a dozen minutes.

Then 2 practically shifts tone into Goodbye PK, Mick and Lee's tribute to Mr. Kuhlmann's passing. If this piece doesn't tug at all the feels deep in your chest cavity, you just ain't human, man. It kinda' leaves the brisk ambient techno of Cosmic Board Fusion out of sorts as a a follow-up, but the gentle field recordings of closer Perpetua grounds things back to Earth. So yeah, something of an album of two halves with a creamy middle. When most AoC LPs tend to come off just as a collection of tracks though, it's definitely a stronger listening experience.

H:U:M - Universal Code

Liquid Frog Records: 2022

The good news is it didn't take me long to talk up a different project from Juan Pablo Giacovino as I sift through his Natural Life Essence catalogue. The bad news is... wait, is there bad news? Like, I wouldn't call having to add this to Lord Discogs' tomes as awful or anything, and given how this item is only a year old (almost to the day!), I'm not surprised it hadn't been yet added. According to the Bandcamp stats, only eighteen other folks have purchased this mini-album in that time, and odds are fairly high that I'm the only one OCD enough to do the entry. Unless one of them also has a blog where they're reviewing Every. Single. Item. within their collection. And if so... hey, send a link over my way, yo'!

Would be nice if Juan added this to the Discoggian database himself, but I'm sure he's a busy man. Honestly, very few artists have the time to worry about what gets added to internet archives, typically relying on dedicated fandoms to do that sort of thing on their behalf. I imagine the Natural Life Essence brand is still a tad too new to have developed such a thing, though with luck, that exposure on Neotantra has given it a deserved boost. Hell, I know of at least one such chap where it worked out.

Anyhow, H:U:M is the alias Mr. Giacovino adopted when he wanted to specifically focus on space themed ambient music away from his Natural Life Essence moniker. Not that he hadn't done so in the past, indeed the three-part Space Caravan series released early on in N:L:E's lifespan. I guess he felt it somewhat limiting to lump all his muses under one banner, so time to spread things out some, for those fans that prefer certain sounds over others.

Universal Code features four tracks, but really it's two: one thirty-minute excursion with different sections flowing into the next, and one twelve-minute coda. Can I just pause this review a moment and mention my one gripe with Bandcamp, how there's always a pause between tracks? It's especially egregious on re-uploads of albums that I know are meant to be seamless, and thank God some include that option with the download. But yeah, having that digital break throws so many a listening experience off. Okay, gripe over.

Universal Code 1° is the standard ambient lead-in, rhythm only hinted at with the gently pulsing synths as spacey pads and dubby effects ease us in. As we *pause* slide into Universal Code 2°, a soft ambient techno beat joins, and some punctual synths build to something of a mini-climax. The track then fades off again, leading us *pause* into Universal Code 3°, something of a reinterpretation of sounds already heard. Meanwhile, Universal Code 4° goes pure space ambience, a few trace melodies from earlier gently bobbing about in the background before coming forth with its own downbeat peak. A pleasant outing, all 'round.

Yamaoka - Time To Time

Databloem: 2013

Had I come to this album when I first discovered Yamaoka, I could have claimed something like “finally wrapping up his Databloem trilogy”. Assuming I'd already gotten Short Films For Long Days and Simple Songs with Purl, that is. Turns out, merely a month after I dropped a review of the latter, Kenichi dropped another album on Databloem. And then another just last year. And another-another just last year with Purl. So, y'know, good on me being tardy with this discography and all, otherwise I'd have written a completely outdated review of Time To Time, and who'd want to read that?

Actually, I'm a bit surprised Yamaoka's returned to Databloem so often – that label isn't really known for a roster of steady contributors. Indeed, artists come and go from its catalogue like travelling troubadours, releasing an album or three while gallivanting off with their own labels or regular side-hustles.

I know this is far from the case, but since taking in a fair sampling of Databloem's output, it strikes me as something of a 'proving ground' for ambient techno artists abroad. Yeah, you may have a dozen releases on some obscure net-label, but if you get your shit on this label, you've definitively become a made ambient-man within the scene at large. You only need a couple records with them to achieve such status before being set off into the wider world abroad. And here's Yamaoka, throwing my theory out the window by having half a dozen releases on Databloem in nearly a decade's time. Curse you, Kenichi, for ruining my head-canon!

Anyhow, Time To Time is where he made his debut with the label, I assume after shopping around following the folding of his previous two homes, Secret Station and Somehow Recordings. I cannot deny being hit with massive deja-vu on this album's opener, Orion, as it starts similarly to Close Line, the track that opened up his Databloem double-LP Short Films For Long Days. They aren't exactly the same, of course, Orion a bit more stripped and minimal compared to Close Line, but man, did it ever give me a sense of trepidation. That for as cool and unique a sound he had,Yamaoka may have turned out to be a one-trick pony with his use of layered echoing loops. Never mind A Frozen Stream disproved that, it's those initial impressions that unfortunately linger.

Fortunately, Kenichi offers enough variation of sound among the remaining seven tracks that those fears quickly dissipated. Yeah, some tread familiar territory as heard on Short Films, though I can't fault that future album for exploring similar sonic territory. When Yamaoka moves closer to the realms of dub techno (Winter Garden, Radial), trancey loops (Hermes) or waves of melodic washes (Prose, Skylight), it helps stand Time To Time out as it's own entity. Nice and concise, too, because I couldn't help but tap out after two CDs worth of Yamaoka loops in Short Films. Maybe I need more Purl up in this house again.