Articles
2014 TOP 10s & 20s
Dday One

Albums
2562
Poppy Ackroyd
Blueneck
Nicholas Chase
Vicky Chow
Carlos Cipa
Dale Cooper + Witxes
Dday One
Federico Durand
English + Vitiello
Everyday Dust
Eyck and Tarnow
Faded Ranger
Grouper
Robert Hood
Human Greed
The Invaderz
Thomas Köner
Kontext
Akira Kosemura
Heiko Laux
Norberto Lobo
Andrew McIntosh
Monolog
Aina Myrstener Cello
Northumbria
Michael Nyman
One World Symphony
Postma & Osby
David Pritchard
[.que]
See Through Trio
Dirk Serries
Jakob Skøtt
Miguel Zenón

Reissue
Hassell and Eno

Compilations
Air Texture Volume IV
Emerging Organisms 5
Hyperdub 10.4

EPs / Singles
David Ahlen
Blu Mar Ten
Boston feat. Solis
DIFFER-Ent (By DJ Bone)
Gone Beyond
Matthias Grübel
Lami / Ratti
Lubomyr Melnyk
Ryo Murakami
Om Unit
Pursuit Grooves

Ryo Murakami: Spectrum EP (with Porter Ricks remix)
Meakusma

Ryo Murakami shouldn't take offence if more attention is given to the guest artist contributing to his latest EP: it does, after all, feature the first appearance by German producers Thomas Köner and Andy Mellwig under the Porter Ricks moniker since a Nine Inch Nails remix appeared in 2002. The Porter Ricks project has achieved near-legendary status within the electronic music community, and the two albums the duo released on Chain Reaction (Biokinetics, 1996) and Mille Plateaux (Porter Ricks, 1997) sound as stunning today as when they were first released.

But let's not overlook Murakami's own material, which is powerful in its own right. Depth of Decay, the Osaka-based producer's 2013 album, signaled a move in a more experimental direction that's perpetuated by the EP's two originals. Calling them club tracks isn't entirely off-base, though they're better characterized as pure listening material. In keeping with the release's cover image, “Contagion” sucks you into its black hole with a relentless force. Driven by an unwavering beat thrust, the track swells in density as Murakami adds one industrial layer after another. As the pressure incrementally builds, the material begins to feel as if might combust at any moment, until decompression sets in and the threat dissipates. Less intense by comparison is “Statical,” which features an industrial-tinged lope so laid-back it's almost sleepy and is best regarded as an exercise in atmospheric design.

December 2014