It seems that bigger labels started to steer away from straight-up IDM in recent years. Perhaps the passing away of Merck and the resurrection of Neo Ouija may be a testament to that. Even n5MD chilled out and turned towards emotional electronica. In my opinion, it has to do with the evolution of sound and the perfection and polishing thereof. You pick a direction, and you go with it. So it was a pleasure to stumble upon an exciting and innovative album by an unsigned artist who goes by the name of Mechanical Steering [later signed to Tympanik Audio as Undermathic]. As always, with amazing self-released albums, there is a spark of excitement in the air, the standing waves of sound excited with organic electricity, and the crackle of the processed bits bouncing off the porous walls into my body. You feel as if you are on the tip of discovery. And that discovery is this unknown album by an unsigned name.
Designed from sampled urban environmental sounds and digital manipulation, 10:10pm is a poisonous cocktail of melancholic melodies and distorted beats. The sounds break through the web of suffocating percussion and shifting noise, bombarding your ears and mind with complex patterns that resolve into the beauty of their simplicity. Complimented with industrial mechanical sounds, dark passageways, and deep descends, the sound slowly rises to the surface, where you find yourself catching 10:10 on the clock again. And again…
Konin (Poland) based Mechanical Steering has ben producing electronic music since 1999. Initially creating a few albums under the alias Head, the music slowly matured into the sound of 10:10pm. It’s a wonder that this artist has not been snatched by a prominent label yet, as I can totally see his releases on Ad Noiseam, Hymen and Tympanik alike. The album is currently self-distributed on Amazon, iTunes, Rhapsody, and lala.com (note: 10:10pm is published under the Head alias). Recommended if you like Hecq, Gridlock, Subheim and Ginormous.
