- Max Cooper's cinematic grandeur has found a fine home on Traum Schallplatten for the past couple of years, and his newest EP for the imprint doesn't do all that much different. "Echoes Reality" coos and gurgles and glitches its way along its path, auditioning for Henry Saiz, James Holden and others who fly the 2011-but-still-doing-prog-right flag. Cooper's genius is in the last adjective above. The glitch gives you the sense that everything might come toppling down at any moment—a far cry from the obvious ups-downs-all-arounds of prog past.
Cooper's coming at from a different angle though. He loves Tim Hecker more than he loves Nick Warren. You can hear that in the trembling throb of "The End of Reason" (Ambient Rework). But he's not above a little obviousness either. "Darkroom" dons a pretty normal 4/4 beat, even as it throws animal growls and a wah-wah synth into the mix. "Qualia" is back to normal: It's New Mexico techno, with chords that reach out into the dark, empty sky until forever (and beyond). Melodic tech house champ John Tejada checks in for a remix of "Darkroom," meanwhile, driving a hook deep into your pleasure centers with a minimum of fuss.
Tracklist A1 Echoes Reality
A2 The End of Reason (Ambient Rework)
B1 Darkroom
B2 Darkroom (John Tejada Remix)
Digital: Qualia