I just came across this album again and 5 years later, it's still as beautiful and moving as it was the first time I heard it.
The opening track "Acoustic Snails" is what hooked me into this E.P. and every time I hear that haunting melody floating over a layer of busy tabla drums, I swoon. Maybe it's the tablas :: I am a sucker for tablas. But the rest of the album is gorgeous as well with dreamy synths, lazy beats, and an overall lush ambiance.
Infinite Scale has a few newer releases since Sound Sensor and currently has a weekly radio show on West London's Westside 89.6FM, Sundays from 22uhrGMT.
H.P. Sneakstep The Swarm
[Karakasa Music :: 2010] Free Download
9.5/10
Just this morning, Dr. H.P. Sneakstep released "The Swarm" - a 6-track concept E.P. complete with track-by-track cover art and a music video.
Here is a brief transmission from the Dr.'s institution:
"Today in class, Dr. Sneakstep is taking his students onto an audio and visual journey, depicting his personal history with insects and the world they occupy. This particular adventure took place over the course of 2000-2009, during his periodic infested sabbaticals to the jungle."
I downloaded it immediately and have been listening to it on repeat all day. Shit's massive! Dark, disorienting and steppy. It opens up with what sounds like faint crickets and clusters of winged insects swooshing past you, only you can't see them because it's pitch black and you're standing in the heart of a dense jungle. The track is erratic, bassy, kind of creepy, and infested with bug-like ticks, pops, and clicks. The tone is set and continues with track 2, another heavy piece with a dark ambiance. Track 3 "Blotto" is one of my favorites with it's bigstep bassline, a steady snare and screechy glitches. At this point I feel a sort of FSOL "Dead Cities" vs. Two Lone Swordsmen "Tiny Reminders" vibe but darker, more modern, more dancey, and peppered with Autechre-like sound cultivations. The second half of these sonic explorations get pretty mental with track 4, suspenseful with track 5, and wrap up with a 7m 18s final track injected with chiptune-ish sounds and an upbeat tempo that makes me visualize a never-ending army of ants marching in unison toward an enemy camp. I'm amazed at how 6 different tracks reportedly made at different times using different sound sets can maintain such thematic cohesion. Don't miss out - grab "The Swarm" asap and listen to it LOUD.
H.P. Sneakstep - The Swarm
[Karakasa Music :: 2010]
6 tracks
When I listen to Acidburp, I can't help but feel good. He has this ability to span a wide range of emotions in his music while maintaining an overall happy vibe. This combined with an unmistakable talent for sound choices, manipulation, beat making, and layering make for the perfect braindance recipe. His compositions are thoughtful and story-like. I equate my listening experience to the carefree years back in grade school, sitting on the rug in class while our teacher enchanted us with tall tales, keeping us at full attention as the adventure twisted and turned until the very end. Make no mistake, Acidburp is no elementary songsmith... his techniques will keep you on your toes and his wide selection of sounds are both new and reminiscent of IDM's Golden Age (early '90s) which will appeal to anyone finding themselves yearning for the "good ole days".
Luckily for us, Acidburp is a busy fellow so there is plenty of his music to consume. He has 2 proper releases out - I Love My Palindrome (EP) and The End, an album of The End remixes by friends and colleagues, a Ribstep DJ set, and a SoundCloud account with plenty of unreleased tracks and works in progress for us to snack on.
Even more lucky for us, Acidburp is a generous fellow. All of his music is currently available for free download (see links below.)
Acidburp - I Love My Palindrome
[Them Records :: 2008]
6 Tracks
Hello and welcome to Brainchops :: The Braindance Blog. Though I started this blog to explore and share some lesser known braindance / IDM / acid / chiptune artists and releases, I thought it only fitting that my first post be on the man who single-handedly championed the Braindance genre: Mr. Richard D. James aka Aphex Twin. He needs no introduction as anyone reading this blog is here because they are familiar the Rephlex Records catalog and are hungry for more. But I'd like start this off on a solid foundation and discuss the release "Rushup Edge" by The Tuss. It hasn't been officially confirmed by Rephlex or RDJ that The Tuss is in fact RDJ, but anyone familiar with his legacy is 99.9999% sure that The Tuss' alleged members "Brian and Karen Tregaskin" are actually him. Other evidence can be found where The Tuss tracks are credited to RDJ in both the BMI Repetoire catalog and on IMDb, but do we really need further proof? Draw your own conclusions by all means, but I am a believer.
Consequently at the time of this posting, The Tuss - Rushup Edge [Rephlex CAT 189] is the latest output we've received from Mr. Richard D. James, and though it is nothing short of a perfect electronic music album, I have to admit it only quenched my thirst for a short time. I can't tell if it's because it only contains 6 tracks, if his new direction is less satisfying for the long term, or if I've become spoiled with his back catalog and will never be rid of the insatiable hunger for more classic Aphex Twin. Rushup Edge for me is an amalgamation of the different techniques Mr. James has explored over the years, a stew of AFX Acid, Aphex Twin odd wizardry, Richard D. James melody, and Caustic Window harshness, all seeping into our ears and bubbling over our brains. Synthacon 9 starts the album off with some dirty acid, haunting pads, worky bass lines and synth leads, as well as vocoded lyrics that start about halfway through. Absorbing this track for the first time I made an instant association with his Analord series, but much more expanded, creeping over the lines of his other styles. In any case, he keeps the track going from start to finish with fast paced, intertwining patterns that appeal to both the brain and the feet. Last Rushup 10 is next, a bit more downtempo and contains thoughtful melody progressions featuring some very Aphex Twin sounds. (The apparent use of the coveted GX-1 is yet another clue leading fans to believe The Tuss is in fact Richard D. James, as he is one of the few owners of this rare synth.) The album closes with Goodbye Rute, a very Aphexy, walking-paced meanderer with the perfect mix of resonant bass, bubbly pops, clicks, and pads both crunchy and soothing. The last few seconds dwindle down to a mellow bassline and the ambient reverb of a sound that once was, which eases you into the following silence like a gentleman.
The meat and potatoes of this release contains some excellent sound wankery, brainy beats, and bedeviling bassline / lead combos guaranteed to give you Sequoia wood and then knock you out. But like most fans, after a few years of clinging to this album, I am anxious for the next thing to come. Until then, I continue to explore the underground scene of music makers scattered across the globe, and here is where I will report my findings.
Unofficial video for The Tuss - Rushup I Bank 12
The Tuss - Rushup Edge :: Stream entire album + buy @ Rephlex | CDs @ Amazon
| iTunes
H.P. Sneakstep - The Swarm
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