- Following his debut EP for Marcel Dettmann's label, Ryan James Ford joins Answer Code Request's eponymous label for a record that defies expectations. Arranged differently, the title track could make an industrial racket, but it's soft and floaty instead, with snares that seem to evaporate into a lovely fog as clicks and clangs work quietly in the background. "Skrtal Tirkett" hits harder but is no less beholden to melody and mood, with a poignant midsection that tugs at the heart strings. If that one steps on Aphex Twin's toes, "Astrid Oelzant" stamps on them, though Ford's bleary notes are evocative enough for him to get away with it.
Both "Astrid Oelzant" and "Kuhlp Korkhu" shift gears. The beats are tough and compelling, even as ambiance and sound design remain Ford's primary concerns. "Kuana Colbk" might be the most interesting, its synths washing over a field recording of rowdy kids. "Kuana Colbk" wants to be meditative, but it can't quite reach Zen with the din going on. It forces you into a liminal zone, somewhere between day-to-day distractions and the elusive other plane.
TracklistA1 G5olk 4Rfete
A2 Skrtal Tirkett
A3 Astrid Oelzant
B1 Kuhlp Korkhu
B2 Kuana Colbk