Aardvarck - Co In Ci

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  • Mike Kivits has been a part of Dutch dance music pretty much since the start, and his lengthy discography reflects a broad range of its developments. Techno and house, downtempo oddities, dubstep, ambient—Kivits has done it all (sometimes, as with 2011's Anti Concept, on the same record). The one thing that can be relied upon is his music's unerring strangeness. Co In Ci, Kivits's first album in four years, doesn't disappoint in that regard, though it settles on a particularly polished and effective combination of his influences. The producer's beloved broken beats are mostly exchanged for a linear techno throb, and ghostly synths deliver an emotional payload, alternately uplifting or gently depressive. The album's best moments bring these two moods into careful orbit. "Ai" is jazzy, almost, though hollow drones wailing across its surface make it feel anaesthetised and distant. "Rah" pairs a hissing, Actress-like groove with sleepy rave chords for the album's most beautiful moment. On "Do Da," similar chords serve as a much-needed cooling agent over more energetic drums. These tracks are simple, repetitive and subtle—at least, by Kivits's standards—but compelling all the same. Elsewhere he doesn't always get the balance right. "Dief" has a stodgy loop that's relentless and kind of irritating, and "Hob," an edit of Martyn's "Vancouver," hangs needless detail on the lean original chassis. Sometimes the stodge is welcome, though, like on the slo-mo polyrhythms of "Hoe," which are brightened with celestial synth choirs. As is often his way, Kivits caps things off with a couple of ambient miniatures: "Pop" and "Pas" are both exceptional. Good or bad, Kivits rarely sticks with a single idea for long, and that can be a shame when they're as impressive as some of those on Co In Ci.
  • Tracklist
      01. Do Da 02. Hoe 03. Pas 04. Dief 05. Hob 06. Ai 07. Pop 08. Rah
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