(NRTCD1)
Arctic Hospital (aka US-based techno producer Eric Bray) is a name worth watching - and this debut album on Miami's Narita label takes in the promise of his recent 12"s and sticks a glacier sized boot through the stale inclinations of the 4/4 dancefloor set. Neon-lashed in the best possible sense, 'Citystream' takes a similar route into your affections as that of Monolake; wherein clinical beats are married to tough techno buttresses and dissident soundscapes, the result being a record which exists just as well in the club as it does on the headphones. Kicking off with 'Cold Wrapper', Bray initially proffers a fog ensconced soundscape that seems to hint at unseen structures - and when they eventually burst forth it's gnarled beats that have been hovering just out of sight, seemingly on the cusp of full-out degradation with cinder block distortion and mottled digitalis. From here the crunching electronics keep on falling, with 'Frost Castings', 'Tulsytic Love' and 'Our Metropolis' particular highlights - merging crystalline beat symphonies with clattering techno-tonics that are wide-screen without becoming histrionic. Closing on the fiercely epic 'Mitten Remix', Arctic Hospital has proved that a deep record doesn't have to be a cold one.
Tracklist:
Cold Wrapper
Frost Castings
Our Metropolis
Rain Six
Siren On My Shoulder
Oel
Sand Remix
Gift Horse
Tulsytic Love
Rotating Water
Mitten Remix |
