Exael - Dioxippe

  • Mutant sounds from the new ambient underground.
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  • Exael's Collex EP on West Mineral Ltd. was one of last year's loveliest surprises, with 30 minutes of ambient music steeped in dub. Exael is associated with artists like uon and Huerco S., both of whom collaborated with the producer earlier this year as Ghostride The Drift for xpq?, the label run by uon and D. Tiffany. Exael returns for xpq?'s second release, Dioxippe, recorded in Chicago between 2014 and 2016. Its sound is rough but closer to the dance floor than Collex's dissolute fog. Much of Dioxippe sounds like it was carved from static. The opening track, "Rond," is basically just that. It's remarkably abrasive, like listening to a corrupted Chain Reaction CD. Elsewhere we get something approaching straightforward techno. The title track's pounding kick drums and severe volume fluctuations remind me of Andy Stott's Passed Me By. "Cyl Reedit" is sludgy techno that sounds like it's heaving its way through each measure. The music on Dioxippe is raw but detailed. "Coai3" has a sickly sputter, but the instability makes it exciting. "Track 3" is basically just a lead bubbling away like an underwater current with an almost unstoppable force. Even the one-minute interlude, "Weld," is full of intriguing textures. Like the rest of the EP, you'll wish it was longer.
  • Tracklist
      A1 Rond A2 Dioxippe A3 Track 3 B1 Cyl Reedit B2 Weld B3 Coai3
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