Blurse

Italian techno producer Dario Tronchin's work as Chevel has ranged from euphoric dancefloor tracks to more clinical, hypnotic investigations that stare straight into a black hole. His third full-length album, Blurse, finds him exploring a sparse, experimental style that is usually grounded in rhythm. The album's 12 tracks typically feature intricately cut bursts of static and white noise, recalling much of the Raster-Noton roster. If a track ever lapses into a 4/4 beat, it doesn't stay that way for long (with the exception of the shimmering, pulsating "Identity Switch"). Nevertheless, the rhythms are insistent, even if they're sometimes highly abstract. The tracks typically steer clear of melodies, although a few shreds peek their way through songs like the Mark Fell-like "Down and Out." "Watery Drumming" has a wet, throbbing, echo-covered bounce that sounds inspired by U.K. bass labels such as Hessle Audio. "Loop #33" combines one of the album's most straightforward rhythms with slightly hazy synth pads and clicking, popping noises. The album ends with "A Form of Love," a brief, fluttering ambient piece that seems to float upwards like a puff of smoke from a small candle. Unlike the ten-minute epics included on some of Chevel's EPs, almost all of Blurse's tracks are around four minutes in length, and their brevity works to their advantage, as the tracks investigate a wide range of textures and rhythms without wearing themselves thin. ~ Paul Simpson