After a small hiatus the Minimal Resource Manipulation imprint is back with a vengeance. Kicking off 2010 with two releases, this first EP from label boss Matt Atkins is yet another very fine example of why I regard his sound so highly. Electronica forms the basis of the 4 tracks here but, as always, these works don’t pander to any particular style or sound – another reason why I like his sound so much. You can hear hints of minimalism, sculptural texture as well as rhythms and a more melodic feel and the pacing of the pieces gives the whole thing a well-rounded sound. The intro delves into stark field recordings and sets things up for the considerably more beautiful second track with its off-kilter, yet subtle rhythms. Warm chords play against the more abstract background tones and it has a hint of classic ‘90s electronica in there. After a short interlude piece comes the dramatic finale which begins with a synth chord and slowly evolves into morphed, stretched notes and then finishes with an echoing percussive tone. A great release from MRM and another extremely good release from Platform… you know what to do!
(Smallfish)
A touch of complex ambient electronica now with this CD EP from Minimal Resource Manipulation head honcho Matt Atkins. As Platform he works repetitive, sometimes bizarre-sounding synth melodies (giving the impression of forgetful machines stuck in infinite loops), abstract, glitchy percussion that inevitably brings the likes of Autechre to mind as well as subtly industrial hisses and clanks and the occasional booming bass throb, both of which have me thinking of Pan Sonic. Generally though, this is a more immediately palatable listening experience than either of those two vague (and possibly slightly misleading) touchstones.. Uneasy, highly atmospheric listening and definitely very compulsive.
(Norman Records)
With free improv drummer Paul May he has released before 'Broken Hulk Display' (see Vital Weekly 661). Again its the case of May delivering recordings of his drumming to Atkins, who then processed the whole thing. Whereas on the previous I had the impression he was creating loops with the material, it seems here that Atkins just treats the material as a whole, adding all sorts of effects to the various parts - say reverb on the cymbals, delay on the tom etc. In 'Secret Martyrs' however he does something new. Atkins switches on some synthesizers, May drums the 4/4 beats and its almost getting close to techno music. In its dubby effects with echo and reverb, its all a bit too odd to be true dance music, but its certainly also something quite weird for the world of improvised music. Quite a good follow up this one. Varied, funny and serious.
(Vital Weekly)
Imagine the musical molecules of the now-iconic dub techno grooves of Basic Channel being battered about and damaged from within by an influx of free radicals. This is the gruesomely appealing sound of Platform´s Four Elements. Matt Atkins apparently prefers to release in short form, rarely more than twenty minutes, but he certainly makes optimal use of the time he allots himself.
I am not clear as to why he chose to name his tracks after these four particular elements from the periodic table, though most seem to have a silvery lustre and malleability in common. On the other hand, this reference note makes perfect sense of why the second track is called "Neodymium": "One of the more reactive rare-earth metals [that] quickly tarnishes in air, forming an oxide that spalls off and exposes the metal to further oxidation."
For indeed, this piece does break down rather rapidly, sounding, like mentioned above, as if it is a lost Basic Channel track being disassembled from the inside, with an off-kilter beat acting as a centrifugal force sending bits flying away from the dissolving centre and only being kept part of an intact whole by Atkins´ simple but lush synthetic melody, the skin that gives them shape and full body. And yet perversely, that which began as disconcerting but tactile ends up much more diaphanous and moody.
The third track is a straightforward, if sly, dub techno interlude, while the ten-minute finale is a variation of the same strategy as used on "Neodymium". A nearly-subaquatic rhythm acts to slowly hurtle the single-stringed drone off into a spin, transforming it in a most curious fashion from the sweep of noirish cinema into a melange of retro, analogue sci-fi film cues.
This quiet and unassuming release is another example of the whisperer proving the most interesting voice in the room.
(
Sonomu.net)
More minimalist bleeps and bloops from Mr. Platform, again with that sinister, almost haunting atmosphere throughout. There is a kind of low level dread that accompanies these 4 tracks, and 'Neodymium' especially reminds me of some dark psychological computer game when you're wandering through an unfamiliar grim street at night-time basically waiting for some one or some thing to jump out at you. Whereas the previous CD I reviewed here was based predominantly around 'natural sounds' from his house, this feels very computerised and programmed, and although I did prefer 'Categories of Dust', this EP is pretty good too. It does have 2 very short tracks that feel like appetisers before the main course track that comes next ('Neodymium' being 7 and a half minutes, 'Praseodymium' being over 10 minutes long) but the longer tracks are really something; the sheet that came with this CD calls it 'hypnotic and unsettling' and that's pretty spot on. As you may have guessed the tracks are actually named after 4 different elements, and like knowledge of the ol' periodic table, Platform's music is kind of esoteric and specialised but if you're into it you're really into it.
(Collective zine)
