Solenoid

Both in technology and composition Solenoid’s fourth release is an album unstuck in time. Portland, OR native David Chandler dusts off his analogue synthesiser and fires up the acid-tinged 303 rhythms with mixed results. Nostalgia in electronics is a dubious prospect, given the field’s propensity for futurism, but opener "Drack Soul” manages to capture the sponge-form tone bending and motorik rhythm of vintage house in a non-toady manner. Elsewhere, as on "Bazaar Tides,” there is a strange collateral echo to ’80s style remixes of rock tracks, minus the echo chamber hand claps. Brief interludes like "Spitbugs” and "Wiwaxia III,” both under a minute, serve as reminders that we haven’t completely abandoned present day and also as pushpins keeping Chandler’s more IDM ideologies in place. "Protein/Lemuria” is a black sheep of a track that sits on its hands (atop the synth keys) and oscillates the intonation of a coarse drone. Concepts involving nanotechnology and genetic engineering supposedly background the action, but their relation to the sound is not immediately evident. Supernature is a pleasant diversion into the stylistic roots of dance music, but can a look over the shoulder also constitute an artistic advance?