- It's safe to say that Steve Moore may be the only musician out there whose discography spans from Kompakt to the thrash metal imprint, Relapse. With his fine analog synthscapes as half of Zombi, as well as the disco edit detours of "Tubular Bells" (as Lovelock on Mindless Boogie) and deep homages to the splatterhouse soundtracks concocted by Goblin (as Gianni Rossi on Permanent Vacation), he straddles both extremes expertly.
For his single on the upstart L.I.E.S. imprint (Long Island Electrical Systems), Moore takes the label's aesthetic—gritty and palpitating Detroit house (with nods to Underground Resistance and Jersey's Nu Groove)—and plunks it down into a Midwest blizzard to wondrous effect. "Frigia," the epic 12-minute A-side, moves from slushy tundras to barren industrial cityscapes, carefully building in mesmeric intensity. Moore's masterful yet minimal ARP work keeps the chilly mood intact, yet also allows in brief bits of warmth. Menacing synth bass stabs echo on the title track, deepening the darkness as an incessant throb kicks in. Basic Channel and Model 500 gets evoked before a more gentle New Age wash suffuses the track two minutes in. It's soothing and disconcerting all at once, and best of all, it works, allowing the beat to fold back in and ratchet the track up another degree.
TracklistA Frigia
B Zero-Point Field