CD – Bed Of Nails

Released by Bed Of Nails, Under A Single Banner is the new work by Shifted, also known as Alexander Lewis, Covered In Sand, delete_everything and Pacific Blue. The artist is also known for his involvement in the AD/S project with Andrew Bowen and Dimitri Poumplidis. This release is essentially a techno album, though its inclusion in the pages of Neural is no casual oversight. The hypnotic loops and overlapping sound layers in this work present a quality uncommon in EDM. Here we encounter dense and coherent evolutions alongside granular textures that are simultaneously dark, futuristic, foggy and metropolitan. The scores are harsh, with low intimidating tones and disturbing sequences. The sequences could be described as post-minimal and are filled with rhythmic drones and crackles: in the darker and more vague passages those dreamy and geometrical profusions become loaded with hard and claustrophobic atmospheres. If you think of the traditional features of the clubbing scene (a certain kind of dub-techno played through loud, beating speakers), then this record doesn’t match up. But here is a work that needs to be listened to without any prejudices. Traditional dance elements are mixed with ethereal and involving textures, the digital elements leaving space for the “mud”, thanks to software audioabuse and an unconventional production style: the mixes have been modified with a guitar amplifier simulator and creative distortions manipulated through adventurous eq moves. If this work isn’t a techno masterpiece, it’s not that far from it; however, Under A Single Banner can also be appreciated by listeners who search for a more conceptual and abstract electronic music.

 

Shifted – Under A Single Banner