April 14, 2013 • Axaminer Netlabel
I found this little piece on Bandcamp in yet another attempt to broaden my knowledge of electronic music with a search for dub techno. (Yeah, I haven't branched out too far yet.) And, as I've said a million times, it's amazing what you find tucked away in those hidden corners, even with free releases. Noösphere is a solid little EP throughout, if a bit derivative, though that's hardly an issue.
It would be a little unfair to call Liquid Delay another Burial or Echospace knockoff, but unfortunately that's more or less what this EP amounts to: syncopated beats that super deep and bassy, glitchy and atmospheric echoes of synths and samples. Tones arpeggiate up and down, tumbling through some rhythmically complex and satisfying percussion, backed by pulsing industrial noises. No vocals, no gimmicks, just pure and unadulterated dub techno. (Well, there's also a not-insignificant amount of straight ambient as well, but that might just come with the dub territory. I'm not sure.)
If that description makes Noösphere sound a bit generic, know that it doesn't make it any less enjoyable. It's an incredibly well-made EP and not a moment is wasted over its half-hour runtime. The tracks have a good amount of diversity and each evolve individually over time, so it's hard to get bored. And compared to a lot of similar albums, this one feels incredibly laid-back and dreamy, which is kind of neat in its own way.
Of course, being free, I hardly need give reason to recommend it, do I?
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