RETINA.IT: Randomicon (FlatMate Music)

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Posted on May 17th 2011 01:36 am

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Retina.it: Randomicon

RETINA.IT
Randomicon
FLT002
FlatMate Music 2011
11 Tracks. 49mins07secs

Amazon UK: CD iTunes: DLD

NMOAROIDNC ITRTIN.EA. CIRNAODMNO TAIITN.TE. ORIANNCDOM RANIIE.TT. Whichever way the letters are ordered on the cover of this album, each of the five hundred copies of the latest Retina.it opus will be totally unique. Released on fledging Spanish imprint FlatMate Music, Randomicon is the fourth album from the Italian duo formed of Lino Monaco and Nicola Buono. And this latest offering, their first album since Semeion, published on Hefty four years ago, is a rather different affair from its predecessors. While on previous outings, Retina.it have largely favoured refined minimal electronic textures, Randomicon showcases a much more abrupt and extreme approach, at times reminiscent of some of the claustrophobic post-industrial ambiences distilled by Pan Sonic.

The fruit of experimentation made using modular synths, Randomicon is often equally as sparse as its predecessors, but in a rather different way. While often built from a restricted sound pool, most of the structures presented here contain corrosive components, from metallic frictions of Gravitational Collapse and saturated electronics on A Model For Nonspherical Collapse to a dense sonic cloud which builds up on Rotating Solutions or oppressive percussive sections on Spherically Symmetric, Particelle Ultraleggere or Moto Armonico, which contribute to the overall intense aspect of the record. This is further accentuated by the lack of melodic structures pretty much throughout. Buono and Monaco focus primarily here on creating dense sonic vignettes, which, placed against each other, form a tightly controlled space, with no external factor to come and disrupt it. Retina.it have become experts at crafting intricate self-contained sound worlds, each of their albums reflecting quite a unique universe. Randomicon is no different, but the often fragmented appearance of the tracks makes this much more noticeable. The only moments when this balance is slightly disturbed are during the title track or half way through Gamma Repeater, where the pair introduce short-lived melodic motifs, in the first case so distant that it is barely identifiable, in the second, more prominently.

While Retina.it have experimented with electronic music in many forms over the years, Randomicon is by far their most uncompromising and radical album to date. Here, they create a brutal and oppressive record where machines undeniably have the upper hand.

4.7/5

Retina.it | Retina.it (MySpace) | FlatMate Music
Amazon UK: CD iTunes: DLD

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