Oktember

This release from the prominent Cologne techno artist Mike Ink's ambient project, Gas, is an experiment in austerity and minimal beats that was released as an LP-only release on the Mille Plateaux label. Along with the quintessential glitch project Oval, Gas defines the '90s sound of this highly experimental German electronica label. Oktember is an atmospheric, trance-inducing drone made from string-section samples processed and looped which subtly transform into a dense wall of harmonics. Gas creates a blurry, all-encompassing sound field that is simultaneously engaging and nullifying -- playing off the tension between soothing ambience and gripping tension throughout. This is highly recommended for closing the night for ambient electronica listeners who can handle a little paranoid tension creeping in; at high volume these recordings are stunning, trance-inducing maelstroms a million miles from the ambient tag often thrown around. ~ Martin Walters