Artists: Alan Backdrop, Ben Gibson, Artefakt, Tripsolate & Redundænt
Release: [SBCV003] V/A Organic Elements EP
Label: Subosc LTD (Italy)
Release Date: Oct 2016
Our latest review looks into recent output from Subosc LTD: a carefully curated 4-track EP featuring various adepts from the flourishing European deep techno scene.
Alan Backdrop – Quaraman
Forms a delicate bridge between ambient waves and techno thuds to create a continuum in which you explore with the mind and feel with the body. It is nimble and flows like an ether, chord sequences swaying like a veil in the wind. Percussive elements slowly usher in its rave aspects, bringing the balanced kicks to the fore and most likely getting the ravers to the floor. 3AM/PM is perfect for this bilingual piece from Backdrop.
Ben Gibson – Floating Shadows
Warning alarms go off across the starboard side. An incoming transmission echoes across the ship’s remaining functional speakers. It is in Tele-Morse, a code developed with beep sequences arranged in a descendo. No one pays attention to it. A breach in part of the hull has left the corridors replete with the sound of the oncoming vessel’s tractor beam generator. Its thumping parts are like a drum-based welcome to an ominous occasion. The captain scrambles a message on the radio to command. He hopes it won’t get jammed. Are we going to make it out of this?
Artefakt – Curvature of Mind
Winding like a boomerang in flight, a rolling bassline punches this hypnotic stomper to the fore of the floor. The groove is light on its feet, avoiding being too dense by adding a ticking percussive layer. With time, angelic chords begin to permeate the palpable atmosphere you are deeply engrossed in. Another layer of bubbling squelches draws us in deeper still, tracing history with our mind’s eye. Then we reach a clearing, from which we can see far and wide. There are two parties going to battle, one on each side of the divide. One of them rushes first, and you are lost in a gripping breakdown as they collide; until the track finally subsides.
Tripsolate & Redundænt – Akay
The song does not rest on its laurels after winning your attention. It digs deeper with a thrusting bassline, burrowing into your mind as the ambient space created around it themes its motion. Riffs and percussion echo and reverberate all through its magnificent shell, bouncing off the nodes in your mind and off again, into time. This is a journey worth sharing but best felt individually — eyes closed, feet shuffling.
This entire EP is a blend of complementary contrasts in styles. It offers a rich palette of music to choose from, with each track built around a unique story narrated by the artists. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Subosc LTD continues to add to its impressive back-catalogue.
Get Organic Elements EP
We’d like to thank Nico and all the folks at Subosc LTD for granting us access to the music for review.