Young, but challenging American label Tympanik Audio more and more often attracts attention. Its list of performers already includes such names as Flint Glass, Autoclav1.1, Pneumatic Detach, Displacer etc. And after the 17th release this list will be supplemented by not unknown German team Zentriert Ins Antlitz. Having chosen a short title for their album ...No, they treated the content in another way. First of all it should be mentioned that this is a three-disc release, and two discs are extracted form the first disc with the help of "De-mutilator" program which can be downloaded form the team's site.The sounding stylistics changed a lot, to my mind, for the best. Now the place of industrial rave seasoned mostly by psychedelic trance, is taken by more aesthetic and refined constructions. Beat no longer jumps as straight bass drum, here it has another temperament, cold and prudent, it reminds more of the high-technology rhythms by Hecq or Architect. Music acquires more typical character and you can't help feeling the scale of what's happening. It's as if ZIA are sharing their vision of the future (and maybe the present), leading us to devastated, lifeless landscapes occupied by machines (like those depicted by Wachowski brothers in 'Matrix'). It is favored by the well-represented atmosphere of universal fading or maybe postapocalypse. The tracks are joined by one mood, though they are represented in different ways. In the first part of the album many new elements of this team can be met. Having met dark ambient "Phreneticus", ...No gains the critical mass in "Cant Get Me" which most of all reminds of the previous team's sound. In "Shamisen Jangle" and "Perphenazin" one can hear the echo of Muslimgause ethnics and in the track with the same name ...No novel, but well-fitting orchestra march. For me the central track is "Manage My Sensability" with its heavy technoid beat and long-drawn-out gloomy soundscapes, it's the quintessence of that fading atmosphere described earlier. The second disc "7Dreams" is 7 remixes for the track "Where Their Dreams Live" of the first part made by various performers including ZIA themselves. In general, it's nice in the original version though some works are beyond all praises. Especially I'd like to point out Integral and Access To Arasaka. These 'young talents' of Tympanik Audiо show their skills and the representing quality perfect enough for sound veterans. Despite the general musical theme, the second disc won't make you be bored and it perfectly adds up to the first one. Although ZIA didn't stop at this point and they recorded the third part called "Remixes". Except the indistinct "Weekend" and "Jericho (CityState Mix by Unterm Rad) this disc plays with great success. I was incredibly impressed by "Perphenazin" in Disharmony's remix. I feel like telling about it to anybody and everybody. Bright and melancholic keyboards melody contrasts with powerful distorted groove and touches even fans of the heaviest sound to the bottom of their souls.
It seems that in this album ZIA absorbed the best of that had been released on postindustrial scene during several previous years. And though we don't find anything absolutely new in it, pleasant listening is guaranteed. I'd like to note once more that the uniqueness of this release is that having large number of materials it didn't lose high quality. Of course, much is thanks to the invited performers, whose bonus tracks supplemented harmoniously the basic disc. I liked very much the new sounding of Zentriert Ins Antlitz, don't know which way they'll chose further, but this disc will forever be one of the brightest works in their discography.
- Tympanik Audio
- Zentriert Ins Antlitz