Based out of Oakland, CA, BIGCAT is an experimental project that blends drone, glitch beats derived from sampled percussive objects, field recordings, and found sounds. Their latest release Atlas is a very exciting album that consists of Javanese Gamelan and Indonesian folk samples, synthesizer drones, recordings of natural sounds (e.g., chirping insects, flowing water, and the like), samples from old sci fi films, and homemade percussion that is digitally edited. Holistically, the album has a very warm and almost tropical feel that just pulls you in and takes you to another place. When listening to Atlas, I’m transported deep into a rainforest on a hot and humid evening. If you close your eyes, you can feel the evoked surroundings with insects and other wildlife in the distance. If Brian Eno and Jah Wobble did a follow up to Spinner, Atlas is how I imagine it sounding. A standout track is “Voodoo Sisters,” which cooks up an extremely busy blend of reggae dub, sampled voices, and drum and bass rhythms. It has a steady drive while still sounding ambient. Similarly, “Old Machinery” layers various discordant found sound rhythmic patterns alongside evocative ambient synths to great effect. “Karaya II” really showcases BIGCAT’s mastery of the studio, with its sparse vocal samples, chopped up percussion, ambient synth swells, and deep subsonic bass. The track is both mellow and tense. My only critique of the album is that I wish the tracks were longer. With most of the songs clocking in between three and four minutes, I’m left wanting more, as it seems like many of the compositions end as I anticipate them picking up and taking things to the next level. Perhaps that is BIGCAT’s strategy, as I am certainly waiting to see what will come next with great anticipation. On a final side note, Atlas is also a fantastic album to listen to on headphones, especially if you have a headphone amplifier. Listening to the album on a Schiit Fulla E further showcased BIGCAT’s masterful use of textures. I highly recommend this album. You will not be disappointed.

When the promotional materials accompanying the record noted that CACHALOT is a violin and accordion duo, I did not know what to expect from their album From the depths of the abyss. Consisting of improvised and treated violin and accordion, this record is dark, anxious, and abrasive, while also being beautifully lush. With only three tracks, the album has an avant garde and surrealistic feel. I would recommend it to anyone who likes Nurse with Wound and similar artists. The first track (the entirety of side A) begins with ominous ambient violin and accordion that slowly transition into noise that eventually quiets down to what I can best describe as a tour through a dark, damp, and suffocatingly dense sewer. This dark tour eventually descends into abrasive white noise that abruptly ends. The remainder of the album segues between these themes in a way that does not feel repetitive. What I really appreciate about this album is that while it only utilizes violin and accordion, the range of sounds that Berman and Jhabvala extract from their instruments is impressive, as there are parts that sound like they were played on analog synths, guitar, organ, saxophone, and various percussive objects. I love albums with surprises, and this one has many such as quiet and subdued moments followed by long and tense stretches that peak with cacophonous bursts of noise. Also woven in are machine like rhythms and sections akin to vintage horror film soundtracks.

Instrument Sleeve # 1 is the collaborative effort of Psychiceyeclix and Caecus Animi. Before I delve into my review of this album, I think it is important to first provide a little background about these artists. Psychiceyeclix is the anonymous multimedia (sound and visual) project of an electronic and mechanical engineer. The project has been around since 2001 and has produced a number of releases. Much of Psychiceyeclix’s music is made via modified or “circuit bent” synthesizers, toys, etc. You can purchase some of Psychiceyeclix’s modified equipment here: https://psychiceyeclix.wordpress.com/circuit-bent-items-for-sale/ Caecus Animi is a producer and electronic musician who has worked with a variety of artists through the years and has a residency with Aria, which is a collective that puts on various underground parties. Like Psychiceyeclix, he is known for using unconventional sounds. With that background, let’s talk about this album. After first reviewing the various press materials for these two artists and the album itself, Instrument Sleeve # 1 was not the wild album I was expecting. Having anticipated erratic glitch beats complemented by abrasive and odd noises from an array of modified instruments, I instead heard a very smooth, polished, and structured collection of songs that can best be described as a cross between AFX, 8-bit video game music, Crystal Castles, and The Octopus Project. As a whole, the album is rather downtempo. All of the tracks have roughly the same bpm. None are particularly fast paced. All of the songs have a steady base rhythm that is supplemented by the occasional glitchy overlay. It is not at all erratic or in constant flux like a lot of glitch and IDM. The synth parts and melodies are steady, but dynamic enough to keep you interested. The build ups and crescendos are gradual. What is nice about this album is that the music is comprised of simple parts that are thoughtfully layered. My favorite parts of the album are the interspersed blips, beeps, and glitches that reminded me of Joy Electric, if Ronnie Martin used 8-bit emulators. Some of my favorite tracks include 808 Game, Chinese Disco 8 Bit, Portersound, and Talking Teacher. Overall, I liked the album and found it was great to play while working. Specifically, I was doing some statistical analyses and it provided an excellent soundtrack. I like it more with each listen. On a final note, the physical version of the album includes an “onboard noise box” that is attached to the sleeve, which you can fiddle with while listening to the album or use for your own creative endeavors. I’m not going to lie, that is pretty damn cool, and I hope to get a copy.

In my years of listening of music, I’ve come across two albums that make you feel like you’re being beaten up with barrage of drums. These two albums are Alec Empire’s "The Destroyer", and Lucidstatic’s latest offering, the aptly titled "Gravedigger." This is an album that has a lot going on, such as fast complex jungle beats, clanking metal sounds, and aggressive noise patterns and samples. The album’s lead off track "Blackout" sets the pace for the entire collection with its brutally intense arrhythmic drum pattern that’s broken up with bits of noise and a sample of a guy saying "No your fucked!," which under most circumstances would be cheesy as hell. However, for Lucidstatic’s purpose, it acts as a warning, giving the listener a premonition of things to come, which is an extremely aggressive and unrelenting album. From start to finish "Gravedigger" is a mind blowing amalgam of breakcore, IDM, and industrial power that unmercifully destroys everything in its path. Furthermore, while most albums of this nature get boring after about the third track because every song sounds exactly the same, "Gravedigger" maintains your attention and keeps you listening in anticipation for what’s going to be thrown at you next. If you like hard power electronics, then you MUST purchase this album immediately. Indeed, this album is great for getting out some pent up aggression.

Displacer’s fourth release "The Witching Hour" is a very stylized album that utilizes a number of diverse elements such as old horror movie samples, trip hop rhythms, classic hip hop beats, and an array of new and vintage synthesizer sounds. All of these elements work together to form a very cohesive, relaxed, and stylish piece of work that achieves the dual effect of being sexy and campy (but in a good way that is satirical). And it is for this reason that "The Witching Hour" is my opinion an ideal after hours album, as it definitely an record that can take you home and set you right after a long night of clubbing and the excesses that often go along with it. Some of the album’s highlights include "Nag Champa," (with is an achievement in and of itself in that it is one of few tracks to actually use the classic synthesizer clap sound in a way that sounds good), "Squirm" which is just a beautiful and emotionally poignant piece of music, and the album’s title track which is very much reminiscent of the Thrill Kill Kult of old. All in all, I would highly recommend "The Witching Hour" to anyone who likes trip hop and alternative house. I also highly recommend it for those after hours parties where good music is so hard come by.