ANOTHER ELECTRONIC MUSICIAN: States Of Space (n5MD)

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Posted on Feb 18th 2010 12:39 am

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Another Electronic Musician: States Of Space

ANOTHER ELECTRONIC MUSICIAN
States Of Space
MD171
n5MD 2010
10 Tracks. 51mins38secs

Amazon UK: CD | DLD US: CD | DLD Boomkat: CD iTunes: DLD

Once upon a time, electronica was an overwhelmingly faceless art form. With time, the names and faces of those behind the music have become more commonly known. California-based Jase Rex turned this on its head when he adopted the somewhat ultra generic and non-committal Another Electronic Musician moniker for his music project, started while studying physics at university, in 2001. Following a string of web releases, Rex joined the n5MD crew and released his debut album, Use, in 2005, followed by a second, Patience, a year later, and a third, Five, in 2008.

With previous releases, Rex found his feet somewhere between the lush sounds and beats of Detroit techno and more refined forms of electronica, and it is a template that he applies on his fourth album for n5MD. Digging deep into the atmospheric nature of his work, he creates a series of particularly elegant and evocative pieces which at times combine both complex abstract textures and dreamy soundscapes, as demonstrated on album opener Late Monday, or later on on the excellent Treading or the rather impressive Memetic. Often though, these are combined with fairly straightforward rhythmic sections to create more linear pieces. This doesn’t mean that these are in any way less effective. On Inflationary for instance, Rex deploys a minimal melody which resonates through the whole piece but gains in consistency as the track progresses, while on Atheos, it is the emergence of a shimmery theme from an initial cloud of textures which catches the attention. Occasionally, the mood becomes almost ethereal, especially on Fnctnl or She Said, where sounds appear to fill the vast spaces they occupy almost entirely, resulting in the beat being inexorably pushed to the fore. The almost B12-esque Fourteen Waters pays a vibrant tribute to the Detroit scene before Rex turns to much denser textures for the magnificent closing piece Venatici.

Jase Rex has an undeniable flair for airy soundscapes and melodies, and has, over the years, greatly refined his sound to bring together various influences and combine them into a very consistent and effective soundtrack. States Of Space has everything of a future classic electronic record and might well define Rex’s work for some time.

4/5

Another Electronic Musician | Another Electronic Musician (MySpace) | n5MD
Amazon UK: CD | DLD US: CD | DLD Boomkat: CD iTunes: DLD

Another Electronic Musician: States Of Space

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