- Michael Rathbun has been honing his craft for nearly five years now. The US producer was an early proponent of dubstep in The States and has appeared on some of the most lauded labels around, including Soul Jazz and Tectonic. Throughout his career he's constantly evolved, absorbing genres as disparate as acid techno and footwork and reinterpreting them without ever sounding derivative. For this reason, he's exactly the kind of person you want running a label, and that's what we get with his second album, Retrograde Space Opera, the first release on Anarchostar.
Retrograde Space Opera moves among musical styles almost erratically while still retaining a broad sound of its own. It opens with the ominous electro of "Welcome To The Anarcho Star." "Look Mum No Hardware" sees a pumping house kick combined with a slinky acid melody. "Ancient Scripture" fits somewhere between the orchestral stabs of grime and the swagger of UK funky, before a mournful synth brings a more emotive quality. "Jaws Of Deltroy" seems inspired by Jersey club, and "Bantha" sounds like something from the Night Slugs playbook. "Troposphere Cocktail Hour," as well as being one of the most bizarre song titles I've seen in a while, is a comfortable highlight, pairing broken percussion with a synthetic marimba hook.
Despite all this, Retrograde Space Opera is far from Distal's strongest work. Some tracks here feel stuck on the rails. Take "Ridge City." This one starts pleasantly enough, with its frenetic rim shots and lush pads, but after a while it becomes clear that this is an unchanging loop, and one that barely breaks the two-minute mark. The sounds on "Nomodawahs Tomb" would make for a solid instrumental grime track from the Boxed school, but the track itself feels over-quantized, resulting in something devoid of soul. There are a number of functional DJ tools here alongside some really great moments, but Retrograde Space Opera is unlikely to win Distal many new fans.
Tracklist01. Welcome To The Anarchostar
02. Ridge City
03. Ancient Scripture
04. Sewers Of Gattaca
05. Boo Monde
06. Jaws Of Deltroy
07. Banthu
08. Troposphere Cocktail Hour
09. Breaking The Atmosphere
10. Nomodawah's Tomb
11. Don't Need Her
12. Ignorance Is Now Bliss
13. Holding Pattern
14. Ascending & Solus
15. Approaching The Wormhole