Vladislav Delay

Groundbreaking Finnish producer Sasu Ripatti appears on Raster-Noton for the first time with his tenth full-length release, Vantaa. Also known as Luomo, Sistol and Uusitalo, Ripatti continues to explore complex, organic, dub techno compositions without ever straying from his avant-garde signature sound. "Luotasi" opens with spatially ambient, ringing tones, organic, reverberating echoes and randomly rhythmic, building percussion layers, creating an intimate, flourishing atmosphere. "Narri" is a calm and introspective, textural, synth-driven track, with crackling, organic wood sounds, chiming bells and repetitive clicks, almost sounding like a sprinkler spiralling around. "Lauma" takes the album in a new direction, with its full-on, electrifying intensity of quivering synths, rapid claps and shuffling scratches mimicking a grey industrial world on the edge. From his challenging Vladislav Delay Quartet debut to Luomo's latest explorative '80s pop adventures on Plus, Ripatti has had a distinctive approach, and here he reassures fans he hasn't lost his touch, then proceeds to push his striking, complex, rhythmic sound arrangements to new heights. If landscapes produced digital sounds, Vantaa would be nature's voice.