I never have been a huge dancer at parties or concerts. Neither do I listen to a lot of dance music at home. Probably this is not really my thing. Though, there has always been one album that could get me booty shaking. Every time I play the album Tenderlove by the duo SND something crawls into me that makes me bounce around through my home or any other place I hear it.
After the fall of the label Mille Plateaux it became very quiet on the side of Mat Steel and Mark Fell, until last year when a three double 12” called 4, 5, 6 saw the light. I sadly missed out on that, but now a full new album sees the light on Raster-Noton: Atavism.
With their early albums SND was at the forefront of the whole glitch and clicks & cuts movement. What made these albums so special was the combination of cold beats created from clicks and warm melodies. Within a few measures you can recognize a SND track.
Now years on there seem to have been some changes to the music. Atavism has a more abrasive nature to the sound. There is less room for the warm synths, though the sounds are still there. But what really comes forward are the direct rhythms; from the start they attack you grabbing your attention fiercely.
SND clearly are still innovating themselves in new directions.
The influence of their touring palls Autechre is apparent. Much more than in the early days the beats are built in an almost generic way. At first they seem to be really repetitive but when you listen closer there are shifting patterns to detect. The algorithms flow from the speakers.
SND uses fierce structures to make your body move in a way not uncommon to the musicians do in the dubstep movement, but the sounds are much more minimal.
With Atavism the duo of SND still proves to be innovative in their own way. The collection on this album is an impressive one which brings SND back where they belong: the top of minimal dance music. |
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