- Classic electro tinged with acid.
- Since they started releasing records in 2016, London Modular Alliance have become a steady source of post-Drexciya electro. Like the revered Detroit duo, they mostly keep their tracks stripped back—which is slightly surprising, as Angus Finlayson noted last year, given the trio has a studio full of modules. The moods are usually retro-futuristic, sci-fi-inspired and lean towards the dark side. All of which has made LMA's catalogue a little hit or miss. Some tracks feel like you've heard them a thousand times before; others nail a classic formula.
INTLBLK006 is among their stronger EPs, in part because "Volatile State" goes pleasingly off-piste. For the first two and a half of its five minutes, we could be listening to early Shackleton or Demdike Stare. There's eventually a fade to silence and then—boom! A stepping, sub-driven beat drops. "Same Repeated Cycles" is also pretty great. Ectomorph included it in their recent RA podcast, just as the mix began to heat up, and it features that archetypal electro blend of funk and urgency. "Acid Lab," on the other hand, is slowed-down electro driven by the titular sound to forgettable ends. Stick with the other two. They both show why you should continue to check in with LMA.
TracklistA1 Same Repeated Cycles
B1 Acid Lab
B2 Volatile State