As I queue up the latest release from Planet Mu, the long-awaited Variance by Jega, I realize that I never got the chance to tell you about one of my favourite albums of the year so far, Arecibo Message, by none other than Barry Lynn. Meanwhile, I’ve spun these glitch-influenced, dirty, acid, and deep dubstep beats over a dozen times. This Northern Ireland musician continues to impress me with his advanced production skills, an unlimited bag of tricks, and intelligent tracks that retain their value throughout the years. I say that because Oneiric (Planet Mu, 2006) and Glyphic (Planet Mu, 2007) still show up in my rotations on a regular basis.
For his third full-length album under Boxcutter, Lynn takes his production even further. Although still relying on dubstep structure, the elements of acid house, jazz, garage, and, of course, IDM are incorporated deeper into the music. Even vocals made it onto the album with a slightly poppy track, A Familiar Sound. The bass is always in the spotlight, sounding more analogue than before, living in its own frequency space around the painstakingly affected beats and individual elements prickling the neurons of your constantly wandering mind.
This album sees Boxcutter ditching the computer sequencing and using lots of analogue synths, delays and guitar pedals to give an organic texture to the record. ‘Arecibo..’ features more guitars and bass than previous records and influences such as Hendrix as well as 2 step Garage influences such as Wideboys are clear. A real trip of an album.
The album title, Arecibo Message, refers to a message beamed into outer space via FM radio waves during a ceremony celebrating a remodelling of the radio telescope located in Arecibo, Puerto Rico. This signal was transmitted only once. I’m not sure what Lynn is referring to with this reference (the press release says, “The album is thus a space voyage, a musical journey through the galaxy“), but the same-titled track has already been played over and over on these speakers. This is a must-have for those a bit tired by the constant dubstep grind and want to add a little spice to their daily muddled wobble. Good to know someone keeps the genre on the edge of experimental electronica. If you like your dubstep with a zing, then Boxcutter is for you!
Besides the above-mentioned albums, there are more goodies from Lynn. Last year, he delivered a collection of previously unreleased material produced in his earlier years, Balancing Lakes (Planet Mu, 2008). Although the tracks had a few dated components (namely because they were written between 2002 and 2005), they still made an impact on me, and the album rose to the top of my favourites for 2008. So make sure to grab that if you can. Recommended for fans of Squarepusher, Vex’d, iTAL tEK, 2562 and Autechre.
