For Those of You Who Have Never (And Also Those Who Have)

Up until the release of his second album, Huerco S. (Brian Leeds) had been known for producing off-beat techno filled with skipping loops and smudgy tones. For Those of You Who Have Never (And Also Those Who Have) is his full-length venture into ambient music, and it's his most accomplished work to date. The pieces here resemble hollowed-out, slightly bent frames of dance tracks. The loops are somewhat oblong and the rhythms feel like they're dissolving. There are no beats, big melodies, vocals, or ear-catching samples, but the tracks still hold the listener's attention, triggering vague recollections and suggesting what could have been. Not quite as bathed in tape hiss as other Huerco S. recordings, the tracks contain billowing, bubbling, elliptical patterns with subtle alterations, and they often cut off abruptly at the end. "On the Embankment" seems like it could've been a dance track at one point, but here it's stripped down to a flickering, grainy loop. There's a playfulness to tracks like "Marked for Life" and "Cubist Camouflage," and the album sounds curious and inviting rather than clinical and serious. A welcome surprise from the producer, and an immersive, enchanting listen. ~ Paul Simpson