Admittedly, I haven't historically biggest fan of the breakcore/atmospheric dnb scene. Many of the tracks I've heard in that vein have left me cold, wanting more focus on melody than layers of reverb-drenched pads over frenetic percussion.
That said, this project just might make me change my tune. The front half of "Kaleidoscope" trends closer to the derivative breakcore I'm accustomed to hearing, albeit with more character and balance. The back half of the album, ... read more
After following Tennyson for years and absolutely loving "Turn Around" when it released earlier this year, I was really looking forward to hearing this project.
I came away feeling like this was more of a collection of experiments than I initially anticipated, but they were experiments that I thoroughly enjoyed nonetheless. There were some really gorgeous sequences in tracks like "Roll up the Sky" and "In My Mind", while the aforementioned "Turn Around" ... read more
A brief 16 minutes and change, but easily the most fun I've had with a project this year. There is absolutely no fat in any of these tracks; they're dense, eclectic, and infectious front-to-back.
Favorites: digital:love, usotsuki
This is my first full-length exposure to fred again, and I came away relatively impressed. House music generally struggles to really rope me in, but he kept each of these tracks moving in a way that I felt was very compelling. There's a strong mix of tight, well-produced dance tracks and shockingly beautiful atmospheres on here that made the record as a whole flow like honey.
ten days shares the same issue that I have with a lot of house music; it can feel pretty stagnant within tracks ... read more
Many of these compositions don't quite break away and soar to the levels they threaten to, but this is nevertheless a highly enjoyable record with a remarkably consistent tone and atmosphere.