Search - Bitcrush :: Enarc

Crane

Shadowcast | Ohio | 12/20/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The newest product from the Gridlock camp has arrived, and it is a living, breathing entity. Mike Cadoo (one half of Gridlock) has taken on a new sideproject (formerly, his solo efforts were under the "Dryft" moniker). The sound is something of a continuation of the last Dryft recording, "Mytotyc Exyt", as well as a volatile mixture of Gridlock's Trace and Formless. You have semi-distorted rhythms, ranging from downtempo glitch-hop to pseudo-breakcore to post-industrial. These rhythms are placed on top of ambient swells, melodic pads, strings, and warm synth tones. The most surprising addition to this record are the soft, minimal guitar lines found in several tunes.



The album kicks off with Engale, which sets the tone with dark pads and slow, almost reluctant rhythms. The second track, Untitled is ambient for the first half, before unleashing some soft guitar and glitchy rhythm. Two Go From There is next, featuring beautiful strings and great downtempo beats. Toward the end of the track, the guitar tones are back, and Mike can be heard singing in the midst of it all. This isn't the Cadoo vocals we're used to, not the throaty whisper of the early Gridlock records, but a melodic voice that works rather well with the mix.



Arjon Tenpher is darker, sounding a bit akin to the first Dryft record, but in a much more mature stance. Bereson File 2 has a melody resembling "Drywht" from "Mytotyc Exyt" overtop stuttery drum sounds.



Habitual is an epic all to itself, starting slow, building to epic breakbeat proportions by the end of the tune. Eye Koto was the track that probably attracted you to this record; it was released in demo form some time before the release by Igloo Mag. Oriental Koto strings are processed over slow dark-hop rhythms, continuing the ideas from the Dryft tune, "39thieves".



Carbon and Frebasyc slow things down, slower rhythms and great melodies. The latter contains a great guitar melody, once again, amongst the electro rhythms and cool atmosphere.



Enarc Ende Y? puts the breaks back in the mix, a great fastpaced track. Carbon Rewind is a drawn out version of Carbon, with more emphasis on ambience.



I could have taken the time to give you detailed descriptions and ratings of each track, but instead I wanted you to understand the relevance this has to past Gridlock / Dryft releases, and yet that it is a step forward into a new realm. At times reminiscent of Funckarma, at others Funkstorung, obviously influenced from Mike's work with his labels, n5MD and Enpeg:Digital, Enarc is a breath of fresh air in a scene rapidly becoming stagnant. Understated melody, head-nodding (or alternatively head banging) rhythms, soft atmospheres, all hooked together under the banner of a newly matured musician make for a great record. Absolutely recommended, top of 2004 in my opinion. You'll want to look out for the next Bitcrush release, entitled "Shimmer and Fade" to be released early 2005, with more guitar tones and influence.

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