- The Icelandic artist Cold was projected onto the international stage in the mid-'90s off the back of his debut hit for Thule. The B-side of his Hyper Experience EP, "Strobe Light Network" was a mesmeric dub-techno epic that still holds its own today. Cold, real name Ísar Logi Arnarsson, never released a follow-up. He became a promoter, a DJ and the editor of the Undirtónar magazine, a well-known music publication in Iceland. He returns to the fray two decades later with five new productions for Thule's newly revived Æ Recordings sub-label.
The opener, "Aerials," is tough and robust with a hint of something dark and chilly billowing in the background. "Phased Out" and the closer, "Goosebumps," are deeper and dubbier. The former cooly undulates with a touch of that old "Strobe Light Network" magic twinkling away. The latter is more wispy and bare-boned, steadily built from a few airy phrases, pulses and clicks until it resembles something beautifully frail. The glitchy "Exiles" and the bubbly "Dialogic" take us back to microhouse's heyday. "Dialogic" is reverently oddball and the most winsome of the lot, while the title track could do with a more modern touch. Exiles is a versatile record that has left the field open for future Cold releases. Hopefully we won't have to wait another 20 years.
TracklistA1 Aerials
A2 Phased Out
B1 Exiles
B2 Dialogic
B3 Goosebumps