MARK FELL
UL8
EMEGO111
Editions Mego 2010
20 Tracks. 64mins48secs

MARK FELL
Multistability
RN125
Raster-Noton 2010
17 Tracks. 63mins48secs

UL8
Amazon UK: CD | DLD Amazon US: CD | DLD Boomkat: CD | DLD iTunes: DLD
Multistability
Amazon UK: CD | DLD Amazon US: CD | DLD Boomkat: CD | DLD iTunes: DLD

SND, the duo of Mat Steel and Mark Fell, have, in just four albums released over the course of ten years, defined a totally unique sound, based on extremely minimal electronic soundscapes and rarefied grooves. Fell released his first solo record under his name back in 2004 on Line, and has since collaborated with a number of other musicians and worked on numerous sound installations and performances. In a matter of weeks towards the end of 2010, Fell delivered two rather different records, one, UL8, on Editions Mego, the other, Multistability, on Raster-Noton.

On UL8, a nod to a pair of Celestion speakers his older brother owned when Fell was growing up, the tracks are presented in clusters, each with a particular focal point, effectively acting as a compendium of totally unrelated projects. The sonic aspect of these segments varies greatly. Opening this album with the extremely dry and syncopated forms of The Occultation Of 3C 273, its five parts reminiscent of the work Autechre were doing around the time of LP5/EP7, especially on pieces such as Acroyear2, Vose In or Liccflii. Then it is down to much grittier Vortex Studies, declined in seven sections of dry squelches and pulses which occasionally congregate around vague rhythmic oscillations and percussion synthesis. These tracks were originally part of an installation and were designed to work in synchronicity with blue lights. An assault of even crunchier analogue squelches pours over Acids In The Style Of Rian Treanor, dripping corrosive electronics onto a series of slick surfaces over its eight parts. Closing piece Death Of A Loved One is in comparison surprisingly accessible, melodic and sweeping, as if Fell was, for a moment at least, opening the door of his sound lab to let the world filter in.

Published a couple of weeks before, Multistability is a more consistent body of work, based around the idea of a condition that is neither stable nor unstable, and of the notion of looking at two different images at once. This album is said to be split into two versions of itself. Yet, while themes and patterns seem to occasionally echo down through the record, it is difficult to find a correlation between its various sections.

Once again, Fell displays a series of highly syncopated and clinical rhythmic forms which are juxtaposed into vast progressive sequences. There is no refined transition between the various sections. Instead, Fell continuously throws in new components, but refrains from deflecting the overall trajectory of this record at any point. Oddly, there is a certain funk aspect that develops from at least some of these odd constructions, which, while often not lasting for more than a few minutes before being thrown off balance again, gives Multistability an intriguing relief.

These records are certainly not for the faint-hearted, their respective scope placing them firmly on exploratory grounds. They are however very distinct from one another, and their individual purpose pulls them apart as much as it draws them close. Ultimately, Mark Fell steps away from the overall linear micro-structures of his work as part of SND to let a more extrovert side of his musical persona take the lead.

UL8: 4.4/5 Multistability: 4.1/5

Mark Fell | Editions Mego | Raster-Noton
UL8
Amazon UK: CD | DLD Amazon US: CD | DLD Boomkat: CD | DLD iTunes: DLD
Multistability
Amazon UK: CD | DLD Amazon US: CD | DLD Boomkat: CD | DLD iTunes: DLD