Strictures - Block Soul
Let us have another go at something being related to electronic body music / electro-industrial. This time we´re traveling to Kansas. Amongst all the country/bluegrass and jazz musicians, we have been so lucky in stalking down a highly interesting electronic 2-piece act being a Dan Kilmartin and Jess C.b.a Describing themselves as weird, grim, minimalist IDM/Industrial. Doesn't sound too bad now does it?! So far there has been 2 albums out and a single, the 2 albums have been released on a label called X.O. Skeleton Musick which Dan Kilmartin himself is running together with an Alex Spalding. And the single was out on Alex Spalding´s defunct net-label Noise-Joy. The first album Gloom Wave Klassics and this are available as pro CD-Rs and can be obtained by contacting the label (see links below). This album (again Block Soul) is their latest, released back in March last year (2017). Now... Let´s us talk about some music!.
Once again we are dealing with the old-school is the new-school thing. Again, they have tried to mix IDM elements into the mix. I don't know if that actually succeeded, but whatever they have tried doing actually ended up pretty good.. and unique I think. There is a nod to old-school stuff like Portion Control, early Skinny Puppy and Klinik, proto Cybotron electro touches and then sort of... mix it all up in a kind of free-improv sort of way. Simplistic and yet kind of chaotic and manic at the same time. There IS a lot of metallic-meat on this bone!
Losing control while maintaining the sound aesthetic. A perfect example of this would be the very first track called Kowgirl (not an Underworld cover!). Frantic and cold EBM electronics, distorted glitches, complex and super-tight rhythms. Not really trying strictly to be pure 100% old-school, but more like pushing the old aesthetics into newer and unknown territories. Dirty high-tech primitive stuff!. The rest of the album?... Worth exploring!.
Bandcamp (label):
Facebook (label):