Point B: A Previous Version of Myself
Scsi

Generally speaking, you'll hear little on Point B's (electronic producer Richard Bultitude) A Previous Version of Myself you haven't heard before on any number of Warp and Spezialmaterial albums. But that doesn't mean the 50-minute disc isn't worth a listen or two, even if its sound isn't sui generis. Bultitude typically coats his squashed and pulverized tracks with layers of grime and sometimes changes it up by incorporating acoustic drumming. Throughout the set's nine pieces, he spins convincing variations on electronic be-bop, whether it's the wiry android funk of “Figure” or the off-kilter loping funk of “Fixed Messages.” When its electro patterns pulsate over skittish breaks, “Split” suggests a summit meeting between Plaid and Solarium while the writhes and hiccups of “Cantra” reveal Autechre's influence most conspicuously. The penultimate “I Used to Hold Things Close” might be the best thing here, with Bultitude boldly slathering grime and detonating ripples over a ruminative electric bass-led meditation. All good enough, certainly, though that doesn't necessarily mean essential.

June 2006