Releases arriving late in the year typically get lost amid the annual critical pause-and-reflect activity, yet this stellar release from Bronx-based producer Eric Douglas Porter under his Afrikan Sciences guise demands to be appreciated. Dropping from outer space as a double LP courtesy of the infallible PAN label, Circuitous is a heady collection of complex beat-based pieces that reflect Porter's deft live sets, in which he apparently mans multiple turntables, a double bass and a host of other implements.
Never really slotting itself into a convenient genre classification, this collection incorporates elements of jazz and hip-hop alongside more traditional techno tropes, albeit with a heavy free improv feel. Each track spins along its own trajectory, showcasing unique aspects of the producer's expansive palette. Yet anchoring the entire suite are the beats; the rhythm is always key, whether it's a straightforward pattern or a chaotic near-collision of sounds. It's this feature of Circuitous that etches in stone Porter's position as the rhythm csar of electronic music.
(Pan)Never really slotting itself into a convenient genre classification, this collection incorporates elements of jazz and hip-hop alongside more traditional techno tropes, albeit with a heavy free improv feel. Each track spins along its own trajectory, showcasing unique aspects of the producer's expansive palette. Yet anchoring the entire suite are the beats; the rhythm is always key, whether it's a straightforward pattern or a chaotic near-collision of sounds. It's this feature of Circuitous that etches in stone Porter's position as the rhythm csar of electronic music.