- This is Gavin Russom's second solo EP for new London label Entropy Trax, after June's characteristically mesmeric The Purge/Enthroned. The story goes that the Black Meteoric Star/Crystal Ark man made the lead track, "Telemetry," during an investigation into the capabilities of an analogue processor he designed.
As enduring as this image is (and if you've ever seen Russom in command of his machines onstage you'll know what I mean), the track's 11 minutes pass without too much of note actually happening. A very Russom analogue bassline and clipped hats are the track's ever-present ingredients, with synth touches, alternately spacey and tinkling, wafting in and out of the picture. It's atmospheric, of course, but it feels like a transmission from deep within Russom's comfort zone. "The Beneficent, The Merciful" fares better. Named after one of the 99 names of Allah, its wistful keys and stuttering percussion confer an endearingly hesitant and flickering start that persists even when these ingredients gently coalesce. A sleepy, subtle treat, it comfortably outshines the surprisingly one-dimensional A-side.
TracklistA1 Telemetry
B1 The Beneficent, The Merciful