Rocky G

Rocky G’s first full-length is one hour of post-rave rhythms that predominantly fall into the experimental drum & bass realm, but also border on hardcore and Rotterdam techno. Most tracks are relentless and abrasive but are intermittently complimented by tracks that have a more wandering ambience, much like the arrangement of something you’d expect from Aphex Twin or Squarepusher. "Allegro,” the introductory track, begins with a fierce snare roll that serially fluctuates through static filters and is tempered with a repeating heavy bass line running at half time. This track, as well as the title track display a refined production technique, but seem a bit longish; their intensity and fullness are perhaps more amenable to a two-minute interlude. "Sunrise” and "Piano Mover” have a similar tempo, but are more outstanding as longer tracks because of the inclusion of softer synths that break up the straight-up effects purely on the drums. "Solar” explores more ambient drum & bass territory, along with "Demons” — a creepy, ambient acid track — where these differing tempos lend this predominantly hardcore brainiac album an interesting quality. The imaginative life of this album alludes to multiple points of the history of electronic music in the ’90s from early house and techno to its more grinding and sped up later developments, yet shoots these reminiscent musings far into the future into new ways to sample, play and remember.