Patherns

After the wonderfully atmospheric Above Air and equally engaging 0397post-pop full-length records, Patherns is a bit of a breath-catcher for CoH fans. With this four-track EP, Ivan Pavlov's nom de plume stays in good aesthetic time with the most recent releases on the Raster-Noton imprint; taking small pieces of sound and constantly rearranging them into subtle rhythmic patterns and tiny melodies that could escape the ear's attention upon first listen. At points he ventures into dancefloor territory, but like a nervous wallflower at his first prom, he treads very lightly before going back to the comfort zone of experimentation. Many of these compositions have wonderful ideas that last all too briefly; expansion could have resulted in a dynamite record that would have minimalist producers like Ricardo Villalobos sitting down and taking notes (if he isn't already). But perhaps in this instance, like many things behind Raster-Noton's label philosophy, brevity and subtlety are the elements that warrant repetitive (no pun intended) listening. ~ Rob Theakston