- Repetition is a tricky beast. Used well, it's incredibly powerful, but go that bit too far and things can get mundane fast. Sadly, most of Ben Gibson's latest 12-inch flirts with the latter category. It's particularly unfortunate, because he clearly made an effort to try something interesting with it. Rather than the "usual" structure for electronic music, "Florentine" and "Implex" are constructed around a series of "choruses," or static sections in which almost nothing is happening. Each lasts for perhaps 45 seconds, giving way abruptly and allowing a clone to slip into place. This time, there might be an extra hi-hat or the low-end might have a touch more reverb. Whatever the case, it can get a bit tedious waiting around for the next change, despite the strong elements. In "Implex," these constitute piercing drones with a sparse, chiming bassline; it's more about atmosphere than energy. "Florentine" is more pounding, filled with abrasive echoes and other industrial influences.
On the opposite side, Samuli Kemppi transforms the sinister, howling atmosphere of "Implex" into a more beat-laden piece. Lucky the kicks are relatively lightweight, as they fill in just about every bit of empty space there is. Additionally, this version drops a lot of the original's shuddering resonance, feeling more intimate as a result. The B2, "Stereoscope," takes up a similar palette to "Florentine," but largely drops the structure in favour of a more conventional addition/subtraction of smaller loops. Despite this busier structure, there's a certain level of concentration required to even register the miniscule changes being made to the background drones. The person with cheap speakers or headphones may hear almost nothing at all.
Tracklist A1 Implex
A2 Florentine
B1 Implex (Samuli Kemppi Remix)
B2 Stereoscope