Posthuman: Syn Emergence
Balkan Vinyl

Posthuman follows up its distinctive contributions to the Balkan Colour Vinyl series with the label's premiere full album release Syn Emergence. Cousins Richard Bevan and Josh Doherty bring no shortage of experience to the project: after the duo founded Seed Records and issued multiple Posthuman albums, Doherty (also a member of Digitonal and AGT Rave Cru) left Seed to re-launch the B12 imprint, leaving Bevan to continue helming Seed with assistance from Bruce McClure.

Syn Emergence's eight tracks may be rooted in techno but are hardly defined or limited by it; if anything, Posthuman's music defies simple categorization, given how seamlessly it integrates elements of techno, electro, and dark electronica into a single, dynamic style. The jacking stormer “Brickhead” serves auspicious notice at the disc's start when voice fragments flicker at the cyclone's center, and “Eruder” pushes the hard vibe even deeper with an enflamed blend of industrial atmospherics and stepping grooves. The album's a non-stop stream of ravers and bangers that rarely stops to catch its breath, and particular mention must be made of the high quality of the album's beatsmithing, as tracks such as “Crone” and “Spoken” make indelibly clear. Throughout the forty-nine-minute outing, Bevan and Doherty show themselves to be masters at crafting tightly wound rhythm structures that stomp and pound with the best of them. “Spoken” stands out as a colossus of sorts that even exudes a palpable gabba scent alongside its jacking throb. Adding to the release's allure is its presentation, with Balkan Vinyl issuing it in gatefold sleeves in either double twelve-inch vinyl or double picture-disc twelve-inch vinyl formats (limited to 250 copies in both cases). Get it while you can.

September 2010