i've just gotten freeform's second worm interface lp, _heterarchy_, and i
must say i am _deeeply_ impressed...i know i only ever post when i've just
bought whatever record i think is currently the greatest thing since sliced
fucking bread (i'll try and work on that...really, i'm not so prone to
hyperbole!), but this record really is just astounding...it's very vague;
quite a chore to master, really (probably what i like so much about it),
and so many moons beyond his skam and warp material it makes me
weepy...from start to finish every sound on here is just fascinating;
hand-crafted, infinitely textured plicks and duffs and squrbls that give
me, when listening to the thing, the distinct impression of viewing the
teeming tidepools of some bizarre alien planet. freeform's simon pyke
leaves all the familiar checkpoints and cliches in the toy bin for this
one, piecing together strange, interlocking rhythms out of the unlikeliest
of sounds, combining them with swashes of tonal color and a range of
meticulously designed atmospheres (that he manages to convey so much
emotion in such a fashion is also worth mentioning). the resulting tracks
(12 in all, the whole thing clocks in at over an hour) manage the elusive
but precious goal of sidestepping what 90 percent of music, both good and
bad, can ultimately be made manageable through: "this kind of sounds like
'x.'." this doesn't sound anything like "x." doesn't sound like "y" or "z,"
either. it just sounds like what i'm ultimately reduced to calling
"freeform," or maybe "heterarchy": without a doubt some of the most
intricate, sophisticated beatoriented ambient/electronica i've ever heard.
rating: 9
sc