Review of Blueprints [12k1039]

Vital Weekly (NL)

Probably it’s quite a risk, taken here by 12k, but all three releases (two on 12k and one on sub-division Line) are all by virtual unknown people. That is a risk in itself, since who wants music by someone nobody ever heard of, but also the actual musical content of the label. 12k is after all a label that is known for a very specific kind of glitchy and ambient music, a kind of music that we may have heard every corner of. So bravo to 12k for taking these risks. But 12k’s Taylor Deupree is a clever boy: first he releases a compilation in the fine compilation tradition of the label, and to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the label. Not with Frank Bretschneider or Richard Chartier, but with two tracks of six artists, who will all release their own full length next year. A such Blueprints is indeed the plan of things to come, but it might also be considered a blueprint of the state of glitch music. Only Leo Abrahams is known for his release on Bip-Hop, the other five are all new to me, even when some of them have had releases before. At first I played this CD without noting too much about the various bands and my first impression was: good and solid microsound and glitch ambient, but without too much difference. Only if you listen closely you will detect the differences, such as the post-rock guitars of Seaworthy, the bit of more noise direction of Christmas Decorations, spacious ambient sounds by Autistici, the ambient concrete of Jodi Cave and the all out, bit progressive guitars by Leo Abrahams. It takes those in the knowledge to recognize these subtle differences, but it doesn’t make a such a varied CD, which doesn’t mean that what is pressed on it is of lesser quality. It’s all of a very high quality and each of the players seems to have found it’s own little niche inside ambient glitch. Which makes a great promise for their solo releases.

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