Beauty is as subjective as anything and comes in many
forms and shape. It obviously depends on one’s
own criteria, but is also subject to social pressure.
Yet, there are some forms of beauty which seems to escapes
all rules and, crucially, set new standards, eventually
becoming part of the social fabric of our communities.
The music created by Richard Devine fits the profile
to the dot. As unconventional and extreme as it is,
even amongst other experimental electronic works, it
is surreally and intrinsically beautiful.
From his first incursions into the music business, his
work proved completely unique and instantly identifiable.
His first release for Warp in Europe and Schematic in
the US, Lip Switch, generated much debate in
the electronic community, splitting the camp between
those who instantly hailed him as a genius, and those
who resented the complexity of his work and the ease
with which he could articulate sounds and moods. Four
years on and his work still divides. Asect:Dsect
will do nothing to settle the argument, and it is rather
reassuring. Very much like Autechre,
Devine continues his quest for undiscovered sonic territories
regardless of criticisms, bringing new concepts with
every release, yet remaining firmly in touch with his
roots. As he declared once, 'I don’t like to be
limited by my equipment, if there is going to be any
limitations, I want them to be in my mind'. An attitude
that has become far too rare these days.
With this third album, Atlanta-based Devine pretty much
returns to the drawing board, but doesn’t let
go of the past in the process. Here, his mechanoid mind
games become more vivid, tormented and twisted, swerving
between elements of techno, breaks, atmospheric electro
and hip-hop. Tracks such as Floccus, Itsuko
or Rusx Free repetitively hit massive blows
bellow the belt, with heavy beats and viciously distorted
high-frequency noises constantly crossing the aural
field. Perfectly adapted to the dance floor, provided
you’re a character in some post-nuclear sci-fi
novel, the devastating shockwaves sent through the speakers,
like mechanical heartbeats, pulsate with impressive
consistency. Elsewhere, Flask has an almost
symphonic air to it, Vo Stream Bas drifts away
in slow motion and Randale is aquatic and peaceful.
In between sit infectious moment of deconstructed bliss
(Corina Chirac, Let Mendax, Halicrafter),
only inserted there to subvert the thick atmospheric
substance of this record even more. Asect:Dsect
is darker and murkier than Devine’s previous releases,
as his sonic world, influenced by the work of Francis
Bacon, John Maeda and Hugh Le Caine, becomes incredibly
complex and palpable.
Very much in a league of his own, Richard Devine is
as much a sound sculptor as a musician, crafting each
track as if it was a precious stone, working it until
it outshines everything around it. Despite its mechanical
feel, Asect:Dsect is totally organic and proves
to be Devine’s most compelling piece of work to
date.
4.8/5 |
