Solenoid Supernature

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? (Orac)

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