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Dominic UmileAbout Dominic Umile When he isn’t lamenting U.S. foreign policy catastrophes with close friends, Dominic Umile lives, writes, and drinks in Brooklyn, NY. Contact him via Dominic_Umile [at] yahoo.com, and read him over here, too. Features
Nosaj Thing [Los Angeles]Nosaj Thing's music is mysterious and provocative, bringing a rumbling intensity and highly individual style to both remixes and his own work. [19 August 2009] Calmer [Brooklyn, NY]Calmer's patchwork aesthetic extends all the way from classical and jazz influences to scrap metal instrumentation, all in service of sound collages woven with meticulous care. [12 March 2009] Reviews
Port-Royal: Dying in TimeFrequent sonic mutation is Dying In Time's most admirable trait. [26 October 2009] 
Apricot Rail: Apricot RailApricot Rail doesn't shy away from larger-than-life instrumental rock. It's just not a big priority. [30 September 2009] 
The Gentleman Losers: DustlandBacked by an ample base of beautiful music, these Finnish brothers aren't losers at all. [9 September 2009] 
Various Artists: Tectonic Plates, Vol. 2Bristol heavyweight label Tectonic packs loads of innovation into its second label comp. [20 August 2009] 
Gliss: Devotion ImplosionWere you a high school senior in 1994? Gliss turns in a summer soundtrack -- 15 years late. [12 August 2009] 
Martin Schulte: Depth of SoulSchulte isn't afraid to disturb his DJ-ready dub techno with some atypical trickery. [9 August 2009] 
Barzin:Notes to an Absent LoverMisery is well-documented on Notes to an Absent Lover, and when taken with Barzin's significant musical shift, it's easy to swallow. [20 July 2009] 
Boy in Static: Candy CigaretteA helping of actual static would likely improve the new sound pursued by this San Fran duo. [5 July 2009] 
Nathan Fake: Hard IslandsHard Islands is perplexing and sharp, but you're lying if you told your friends this is an "album". [27 May 2009] 
Pendle Coven: Self-AssessmentPendle Coven's work probably won't sway the non-dub techno fan, but skipping out on Self-Assessment for that reason is just silly. [25 May 2009] 
LD: Traumatic TimesIn dubstep and the related genres that rely so much on precise sound structuring, LD's trained production ear suits him well. [5 May 2009] 
Mokira: PersonaPersona is infinitely unpredictable, and manages to be quite soothing at the same time. [21 April 2009] 
Pig & Dan: The Heat EPThe Heat EP is Pig & Dan's latest balancing act of the Big and the Brittle. [19 April 2009] 
Marc Romboy: Systematic Colours Volume TwoIf Romboy's wobbly mix hits a snag, it vanishes in minutes. [16 April 2009] 
Speck Mountain: Some Sweet ReliefSpeck Mountain's lead vocalist is unfortunately the only one driving toward the story's arc on the band's second album. [2 April 2009] 
Rauelsson: Tiempo De EP & Pacifico EPRefined and understated, Rauelsson's melodies warm the soul like wool gloves. [16 March 2009] 
Gui Boratto: Take My Breath AwayGui Boratto's full-length follow-up to Chromophobia is nothing short of mesmerizing. And check out that cover art. [6 March 2009] 
Windsurf: CoastlinesThese leisurely numbers work best in a relaxed environment, but that's about it. [12 January 2009] 
Headhunter: NomadHeadhunter's debut LP is rich with the danceable strain that dubstep audiences have consumed by the truckload in recent months. [7 December 2008] 
Dusk + Blackdown: Margins MusicDusk + Blackdown are dubstep documentarians. Say that three times fast. [3 October 2008] 
Arc Lab: The Goodbye RadioEvocative symphonies meet stationary ambience on The Goodbye Radio. [15 July 2008] 
Nobody Presents Blank Blue: Western Water Music Vol. IIWill Elvin Estela ever cease his excursions into unshaven hippiedom? All signs point to "no". [13 June 2008] 
Minilogue: AnimalsSweden-based producers Sebastian Mullaert and Marcus Henriksson conjure ghostly tech house and ambient. [9 June 2008] 
Andre Obin: ColorwheelAndre Obin's Colorwheel is so drunk with emotion and synth swells that its not-quite-nine minutes are positively exhausting. [15 May 2008] 
Delon & Dalcan: TanzThe blend of minimal techno and house on Tanz, the debut full-length from French producer/DJs Delon and Dalcan is an all-party event. [8 May 2008] 
Diskjokke: Staying InBlissful disco- and classical-tinged electronic music: Who wants to go out, anyway? [29 April 2008] 
Claro Intelecto: MetanarrativeMetanarrativeis the elaborate-sounding title given to Claro Intelecto's second LP since 2004's Neurofibro. [2 April 2008] 
Belong: Colorloss RecordBelong's reluctant surges are endlessly fascinating, even if the root notes aren't their own this time. [24 March 2008] 
Principles of Geometry: LazareLazare is strongest when it sounds like, well, Lazare. [4 March 2008] 
Faunts: M4M4 harbors some fit-for-film potential that stays above water, even if it sounds like we're nearly drowning. [28 February 2008] 
Atlas Sound: Let the Blind Lead Those Who Cannot SeeBundled in both live and programmed textures, this is Deerhunter's Bradford Cox at his most accomplished, processing organ, guitar, and his own vocals for a dizzying 50 minutes. [18 February 2008] 
Ill Insanity: Ground XeroClassic turntablism is always impressive, but it doesn't make up for lack of variety. [15 February 2008] 
Donnacha Costello: ColorseriesCostello's Colorseries productions are minimal and lovingly simple. [9 January 2008] 
Dominik Eulberg: BionikEulberg's very atmospheric techno is either clacking and rife with gushes of air, or lush and at times overbearingly luminescent, with long, drawn-out key tones. [10 December 2007] 
Rockford Kabine: Italian Music: 31 Invalid Movie ThemesLethargic ditties which puzzle and hypnotize. [15 November 2007] 
Shir Khan: Maximize!Shir Khan's Maximize! talks big in the first half, but it's ultimately a lover who doesn't deliver. [26 October 2007] 
Inanna: ButterflyAn album's worth of soothing textures that would go over pretty well in the living room on a Sunday. [17 October 2007] 
Attilio Art Mineo: Man in Space with SoundsMineo's orchestral offerings on Man in Space are spine-tingling at most points. Shrill noises and squeals peek around each slowly churning cello arrangement, as a great deal of machines lend a manic atmosphere to each piece. [11 September 2007] 
Phonique: Good IdeaWhile Good Idea offers a universal spread, with funk entries or percussive, glitchy techno -- the bonus disc’s riches are vast and plentiful. [16 August 2007] 
The World on Higher Downs: Land PatternsExceptionally radiant strings, guitar loops, and cymbal crashes not only debunk the stigma still associated with recording in bedrooms, it makes it rather difficult to leave the comfort of your own. [8 August 2007] 
Cyrus: From the ShadowsFrom the Shadows is grim, sluggish dubstep, at times fitting what's become an inadequate broad description of the genre. [16 July 2007] 
Various Artists: Beatwave JapanLike the self-checkout line in the grocery store, Beatwave Japan works better in theory than in practice. [4 April 2005] 
Evil Nine: You Can Be Special TooMore charged and exciting than evil or nine, this DJ/producer duo makes good on party promises and even invites Aesop Rock to stop by. [29 March 2005] 
Hood: Outside CloserHood's bleak presentation drops the temperature in my room another 12 degrees or so. Thanks, Hood. [8 February 2005] 
The Foreign Exchange: ConnectedLittle Brother's Phonte and Nicolay of the Netherlands make beautiful music together while proving that message boards ain't all bad. [6 January 2005] 
The Zombies: Odessey & OracleOdessey & Oracle is the weekly record, a compiling of sentiment that’s comfortable enough for anytime, be it free weekend space or during mundane cubicle labor. [1 September 2004]BlogsMixed Media: Golau Glau - Many Free Songs (MP3) [14 September 2009]Mixed Media: Diego Bernal - For Corners (Free Album Download) [23 February 2009] |
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