- Maximalism has been popular in electronic music for a while now, but Anstam's version of it still seems bizarre. His UK-influenced hybrids draw on the pomp and glam of prog-rock, perhaps even metal. His three LPs, for 50 Weapons and Monkeytown, have tended to get carried away with themselves, but his EPs offer digestible bites of the bizarre. The No One Else EP for All City, produced as Anno Stamm, delivers just such a selection of morsels. Much like an indulgent prog epic, the tracks push at the boundaries of good taste as they probe the limits of their chosen forms. You're left entertained, and wondering whether it all went too far.
The first two tracks have said plenty by their midpoints, and then they keep going. "No One Else"'s UK funky snares and dubby bassline would've made for a satisfying roller. Anno Stamm piles ever more harmonics onto the bassline and pumps up the delay until the whole thing sounds cosmically huge. When he sticks a third-interval harmony on it for the thunderous ending, it's practically electro house. Likewise, "Charge It To My Account" could have been left as a weirdo drum track; the synth arps that jitter on-stage towards the end give it an edge of house-of-horrors camp. "Sensing Social Sirens" is a much-needed soothing coda. Its muted kick drum nudges along under layers of hiss and introspective synth pads. As the whole thing swells, a funk bassline stalks into view, but for once Anno Stamm keeps it on a tight leash. It growls resentfully and then slinks away, leaving us to enjoy the peace and quiet.
TracklistA1 No One Else
B1 Charge It Up To My Account
B2 Sensing Social Sirens