System

Skirting techno, dub and pure soundscape creationism are System, a Danish electronic super-group (according to the bio). In case you think the post-Basic Channel delta of techno dub isn't diffuse enough, here's another entry. At first, through "All" and "DRK," any rhythmic content is only tenuously tied to momentum. But lo and behold, the songs thicken up and get serious about head-nodding a third of the way through ― "Stars" and "Stanley" being particularly energetic, 8-bit-style digi-dubs. Process-wise, the album's entirely synthetic palate isn't groundbreaking, but is absorbing and richly detailed, if you're partial to dub-soaked electronics. Not to damn this album with faint praise, but B is fresh in the sense that the sounds could only have come out of the here and now, but would still mix well with European-made dub, from the Orb onwards. What System could do, hopefully, is find an audience amongst those looking for more L.A.-style, Low End Theory-type bass. Though any hip-hop sensibilities are absent, it pushes and pulls your insides in a similar fashion. This is a classy release.