Old Apparatus - Realise

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  • We might still not be sure who exactly London collective Old Apparatus are, but that isn't going to stop them from already embarking on solo projects. The first in a new series on their freshly-minted label Sullen Tone, Realise is a lone wolf effort from LTO. Whoever that is. Things don't sound all that different here from previous Old Apparatus work: It's an EP of weepy electronics slouching towards oblivion. "Chicago" starts things off in earnest with a looping piano melody attacked by techstep creaks and unwieldy breaks, hinting at the rest of the EP's detached, forlorn beauty. The real attraction here is the stunning "Holding," where a timestretched, lagging breakbeat is smeared across a canvas of foghorns and distant trumpets, held down by chimes and rumbling bass. The whole thing has that distinctly Autechre sheen of indifferent chrome, scrambling emotion set inside malfunctioning computer music. "Found Sounds" operates on a similar plane, playing with dense breakbeats and uncoiling any number of sounds around them, creating something that alternates between hedging peace and hectic chaos. The EP ends on a grand note with "Realise." Throbbing like Akira Yamaoka's most frightening scores for the Silent Hill series before dissolving into beautiful suspended resolution, "Realise" dusts itself off before adopting a more civilized gait to brighter climes, finishing off a four track EP that emotionally wrings the listener more than most albums.
  • Tracklist
      A1 Chicago A2 Found B1 Holding B2 Realise
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