Some experimental stuff coming out from Net-Lab. This time from an artist I have never heard about before called John Cohen.

Download it here.

Tracklist:
01 _{_}_
02 ~_§_~
03 _(^)_ RMX
04 [][][][]
05 -__- x
06 =;=

Press release:
“John Cohen’s eponymous release is pregnant with tension and darkness drenched in high-pitched squeals and thunderous low end. Opener, “{*}”, is a drunken dub sea-shanty, meandering through the broken hulks of sunken subs and the threadbare sails of pirate galleons: the washed out sounds of sirens and broken beats is warped until only echos remain. ~*§*~ has a wonderful mix of structure and “unstructure”.

One can never really be sure of which side of the fence you’re on while listening to this, or indeed, any of his tracks. Drifting tones across the collection become solid melodies without you noticing where he is taking you and simultaneously, just as you’re getting used to a solid rhythm, moments shift, inertia takes over and you just slide towards whatever Cohen, his Jamie Woon-esque vocals and Big Black era clanger guitars have for you around the next obtuse corner. This release is some sort of bastardised noise clatter disguised as a dubstep joint, (PIL meets Hawkwind meets Black Dice meets Vex’D if you’re into contextualisation), employing beats in unique and clever ways throughout the compositions to keep them loose and organic. His drums are effective throughout, in their ability to add presence to the “loops” (although where they repeat, who can tell!?), adding a pounding heart to the web of tortured sounds and soulful melodies. While the violence is present just under the surface, it’s clear that Cohen isn’t out to make an angry sound, it just has aspects of this. The most impressive of which, is the music’s ability to achieve so much in parallel. This is most evident on the second last track: -||- x.

No single phrase is allowed enough time to breathe, not a single sample sounds laboured, no single element is given enough space to allow the listener to relax. Yet, nothing sounds hurried, the flow is never interrupted and the changes come just when you anticipate that they should… everything just rolls off the tongue.”