Stochastic Drift＜White Vinyl＞

Berghain resident Sam Barker has become known for a pristinely crafted style of techno which avoids standard kick drum patterns, lifting above the dancefloor rather than driving it. While Debiasing and Utility established a cascading form of ambient trance-techno, Unfixed was a more abrasive effort somewhere in between industrial techno, dub, and Autechre. Stochastic Drift, his second full-length, reflects his interest in mechanical instrumentation, especially its unpredictable qualities. The album is easily his most varied work yet, maintaining some of the signature elements of his past efforts while stretching them in vastly different directions. "Reframing" comes closest to the weightless shimmer of his Ostgut Ton releases, gradually elevating into a blissful state. Most of the other tracks do incorporate percussion, but never a straightforward clubby thump. "Force of Habit" has tricky beat patterns which seem to set off chain reactions of cloudy melodies and gliding bass. "Difference and Repetition" starts with flashing tones reminiscent of some of Ryuichi Sakamotos later digital work, then sets them in motion with intricate beats. "Positive Disintegration" is an ambient dub bath which ends up corrupted with glitches, and "Cosmic Microwave" similarly begins unassumingly before subtly taking shape with complex rhythms. Many of the tracks have a jazzy sense of pacing and development to them, and the albums final two selections flesh out a chamber jazz-influenced sound. "Fluid Mechanics" is a more cavernous, dub-like piece with pianos and spacious drums. "Stochastic Drift" sounds like it has a live drummer playing along to Barkers rippling electronics, and the way the sounds bounce off of each other feels vibrant and ecstatic. The entire album is yet another exciting evolution of Barkers innovative approach to techno. ~ Paul Simpson