ZAINETICA
Soul Paradox
RN019
Rednetic Recordings 2008
11 Tracks. 73mins55secs

It has been a while since Rednetic founder and Zainetica mastermind Mark Streatfield has released on his own imprint. Instead, Zainetica outputs have been materialising on countless independent labels, including Lacedmilk, Enpeg Digital, Boltfish, Kahvi and many more. It was although with a Zainetica release, Streatfield’s debut, Escaping Dust, to be précised, that the label was launched in 2002. So, his latest dispatch, Soul Paradox, is a very welcome return to the Rednetic fold and another fine addition to a catalogue that is growing to be one of the most consistent around.

The Zainetica sound has evolved very gently in the last six years to incorporate contemporary elements, and this latest offering is no different. While Streatfield deploys here his flawless blend of classic Detroit-infused lush electronica, shaped to accommodate warm sophisticated melodies, he adds some discreet urban undertones, especially on tracks such as A Second Life, Nomad or Soul Paradox, where Mark Streatfield assembles syncopated beats and jerky patterns into fast-moving compositions. We are far from the minimalist dance floor aesthetic of Burial or the heavy pouting of Kode9 here, yet there is something of the urban substance that characterises dubstep, amongst others, filtering down this album.

This is not to say that Streatfield has jumped on the bandwagon and sold out. The eleven tracks making the album all undoubtedly bear the Zainetica stamp. Elegant electronic textures float over complex rhythmic sections, providing effective backdrops for warm melodies to take shape and develop into wonderfully tight sequences. On opener A Distance Between Us, Streatfield juxtaposes sharp electronics, warm analogue soundwaves, voluptuous synthetic strings and a processed electric guitar drone into a slow moving epic. Elsewhere, things may be simpler in appearance, but the impression of wide open space and the emotional depth are intact. Whether it is through the heavy percussions of Madness, the minimal textures of Delicate Wings or the lush and rich Lazy Nelson Days, Streatfield pulls out all the stops and create some of his most compelling work to date. Lazy Nelson Days and People More Fuel, which follows it, also hint at more noise-based experimental work, and while it is difficult to know whether these pre-empts a move toward less welcoming terrains, there is certainly here a dimension that hasn’t quite transpired in much of Streatfield’s past work.

While Mark Streatfield has recently diversified his electronic outputs, first with side project Cyan341, which deals with minimal techno, and more recently, as one quarter of Lowriders Deluxe, his first Rednetic release in years is a confident slice of the finest classic electronica  which will more than satisfy true amateurs of the genre.

4.7/5

Zainetica | Rednetic Recordings

VARIOUS ARTISTS
One Point Two: More Digital Listening Music From Rednetic
RN012
Rednetic Recordings 2007
14 Tracks. 72mins58secs

In the last five years, London-based imprint Rednetic have delivered a steady stream of elegant electronic records. While the label’s scope has considerably expanded over the years, the focus has largely remained on classic electronica. The label was set up in 2002 by Mark Streatfield and Joseph Auer, and the first release was Streatfield’s debut album as Zainetica, Escaping Dust. Since, Auer, who had then moved from London to Tokyo, released the Kyoto Tokyo 2001 EP, and further releases by Utility Player, The Vizier Of Damascus, Inigo Kennedy, Tommy Bass and Boltfish co-founders Will ‘Cheju’ Bolton and Murray ‘Mint’ Fisher, amongst others, have firmly established the label as one of London’s best imprints.

In 2004, the One Point One compilation collated tracks by some of the above artists together with offerings from Ochre, Sidechain and F.E.A.R. Three years on, the second instalment in the series harvests a further fourteen tracks of classic electronica and techno, with contributions from Mint, Tommi Bass, Liberation Jumpsuit, Infinite Scale, Boc Scadet, Joseph Auer, Sunosis, Zainetica and many more.

Very much like its predecessor, One Point Two spans a vast array of genres, from the elegant electronic swathes of Boc Scadet’s She Spoke Of The Sky, Zainetica’s Awaken or Sunosis’s Leap and the ambient expanses of Polestar’s Retro Future, Infinite Scale’s Cell Out or The Vizier Of Damascus’s Murmurs to the Detroit-infused offerings from Cheju’s Hubl or Inigo Kennedy’s Faraway Towns to the old style techno of Tommi Bass’ Electro Glitch 2007 and the acid funk of Liberation Jumpsuit’s One Night Stand.

The album kicks off in gently mood with the delicate formations and beats of Mint’s Queasy, but things sharpen up quickly, first with the electric charges inflicted by Tommi Bass, then with the dirty electro funk distilled by Liberation Jumpsuit, before Boc Scadet applies lush dreamy textures and brings One Point Two right back into melodic mode. A perfect reflection of the path followed by Rednetic over the last first years, the album then alternates between delicate pieces (Polestar, Infinite Scale, Joseph Auer) and more upbeat moments (Utility Player, Cheju, Inigo Kennedy).

Rednetic have gained confidence with every release, and the label’s audience has been growing accordingly. This second compilation brings together the many flavours of Rednetic and provides an ideal entry point for one of the most consistent independent imprints around.

Explore: Rednetic Recordings

ZAINETICA
Redirection
BOLT035
Botlfish Recordings 2006
14 Tracks. 76mins25secs

While Redirection is only Zainetica’s third album released on CD, London-based artist Mark Streatfield has, since Escaping Dust (2003), accumulated an impressive body of work, from MP3-only EPs and albums on labels such as Boltfish, IVDT, Enpeg or Laced Milk Technologies, to countless compilation contributions. He has also been running his own imprint, the ever-excellent Rednetic, releasing music from the likes of Joseph Auer, Mint, Utility Player, Cheju and The Vizier of Damascus.

Streatfield’s first foray into music dates back to the drum’n’bass days, but, in recent years, he progressively moved toward gentler terrains. His debut album, Escaping Dust, was a masterful exercise in classic electronica, with echoes of early Black Dog, Beaumont Hannant or Ritchie Hawtin giving it a solid base. Redirection shows very similar affiliations as Streatfield serves subtle melodies wrapped in beautiful analogue soundscapes and organic textures. Yet, the general pastoral tone of this record is often interrupted with more urban emissions, especially with pieces such as Dolorous, MI, Redirection or Divided adding a considerable amount of grit to this otherwise rather corporeal collection. As he assembles corrosive glitches and harsh electronic textures over angular rhythmic sections, Streatfield almost imperceptibly redefines his musical scope, incorporating new sounds and ambiences into his blend of classic Detroit techno and early Warp-era electronica.

Although the music appears effortless, as each track gently flows into the next, the level of complexity is high. Working from rudimentary sources, Streatfield builds his compositions bit by bit, applying layers with parsimony to focus on the chore structure of a piece and avoid any distracting elements. Redirection is however anything but austere. Streatfield opts for warm soundscapes and sprawling atmospherics to offset the minimal structures he toys with, alternating between vivid formations (Inception, Dolorous, Concept, Hidden, Daylight) and more subdued moments (Central, Maglev, Close), and even dabbles with folk elements on the delicate Underfoot, on which a treated acoustic guitar lands on a abrasive bed of white noise and distrotions.

A logical evolution in Streatfield’s prolific body of work, Redirection is an incredibly diverse, yet focused and consistent record. Streatfield is never shy of showing off his influences, but, as he continues to gain maturity and confidence, his music remains truly original and fresh. This is electronic music at its cleverest and most human.

Explore: Zainetica | Boltfish Recordings