Having pioneered a tough industrial take on techno through the early 2000s, Adam X's work has taken on a renewed relevance with the scene's shift back towards the darker and harder post-acid sound that he himself mastered. Irreformable ultimately owes its sound to this genealogy, but the restrained energy of Adam X's most recent and more minimal Transversable Wormhole project finds space here, too. In interviews Adam X has shied away from citing dance floor functionalism as his driving creative force, yet Irreformable hardly strays from a pummelling 4/4 techno framework.
The whole piece draws on a darkened ambiance outlined with hard-edged tension. Many of the tracks would be suitable for only the most intense peak-time dance floors, which makes for an exhilarating experience; Irreformable is a shamelessly hard-hitting techno album. However, the album's finest moments arguably lie in the more restrained layering displayed on '"Interchanges," "Catenary" or "Tornado Warning." With the space allowed by Adam X's more minimally layered grit, the tension that runs throughout Irreformable is effectively laid bare, adding depth to juxtapose the peaks of his more punishing productions.
(Sonic Groove)The whole piece draws on a darkened ambiance outlined with hard-edged tension. Many of the tracks would be suitable for only the most intense peak-time dance floors, which makes for an exhilarating experience; Irreformable is a shamelessly hard-hitting techno album. However, the album's finest moments arguably lie in the more restrained layering displayed on '"Interchanges," "Catenary" or "Tornado Warning." With the space allowed by Adam X's more minimally layered grit, the tension that runs throughout Irreformable is effectively laid bare, adding depth to juxtapose the peaks of his more punishing productions.