Atlas - Music For Pylons

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  • The first two releases on Oliver Ho's Wire imprint have come in quick succession. But it shouldn't be a problem. Unlike its predecessor, Rails is clearly aimed at dance floors, offering up two lengthy cuts that nearly any DJ could find room for in a set. The tracks aren't exactly club fodder per se, "Rails" pumps but its elements slice and dice like Thomas Brinkmann, while "Liquid"'s low-slung bassline is joined by yawning canyons of sound and a creepy vocal. But these days it's clear that Ho isn't all that interested in tools so much as he's interested in making compositions that pull together sounds that work together in surprising ways. Ho is joined here by a co-producer, Tommy Gillard, but to their credit it's hard to discern who brings what to the table. More interestingly, the two descents into abstract sound design don't seem to adhere to any sort of computer-plotted grid—as so many "experimental" tracks from dance-oriented producers tend to. "Tract" drifts, "Wooden Hill" blurts, and both enthrall precisely because you don't know what's coming up next. More producers could take a lesson from the Atlas team's playbook. Surprise is often the most effective tool of all.
  • Tracklist
      A1 Rails A2 Tract B1 Liquid B2 Wooden Hill
RA