- Polar Inertia are one of modern techno's most intriguing names, having burst onto the scene back in 2012 with two EPs of deep, darkly majestic productions for Parisian label DEMENT3D. Indirect Light and The Last Vehicle each featured a shorter track that told the story of the "polar children," and remained the only full releases in the outfit's catalog for almost three years. In the interim, there were a few one-offs, remixes and steady touring, while DEMENT3D, which would also issue the excellent Polar Inertia Remixed, continued its own rise to prominence. Now, amid much anticipation, Polar Inertia has returned with Kinematic Optics, a double-vinyl EP that's easily their most accomplished and satisfying work.
Kinematic Optics' first 12-inch, the next episode in the polar children saga, features the expansive approach to 4/4 techno that Polar Inertia have made their forte, with three tracks each stretching past the eight-minute mark. All surging synths and shrill drones, "Floating Away Fire" keeps on the attack until the end, and the following two epics just get better. "Hell Frozen Over" locks into a three-over-four groove, where monolithic bass riffs and echoing shudders make way for ever-growing splashes of starlight. 12-minute tour de force "Vertical Ice" finds Polar Inertia in full flight, riding some quick-fire acid and drums over a storm of otherworldly noise and distortion. The title track presents the story's complicated new chapter, which suggests a sort of revelation, though it'll surely leave devoted listeners wanting more.
Centered around a two-part piece called "Can We See Well Enough To Move On?," the second 12-inch is a 2014 performance recorded in Brussels. Polar Inertia are already known for their well-honed take on techno, but these two side-long tracks, each about 20 minutes, prove they're just as capable constructing immersive ambient soundscapes. With a few bubbly, barely-there rhythms, lots of glimmering drones and some key moments of buzzing intensity, "Part One" is a compelling and masterful long-form ambient track. "Part Two" culminates in a gentle push through waves of harmonized distortion. It all adds up to another gem from this enigmatic entity.
TracklistA1 Floating Away Fire
A2 Hell Frozen Over
B1 Vertical Ice
B2 Kinematic Optics
C1 Can We See Well Enough To Move On? (Part One)
D1 Can We See Well Enough To Move On? (Part Two)