Swarm Intelligence _ Surveillance [ACPR019]

Swarm Intelligence’s latest for Belfast based Acroplane, is a genre defying trip through the dark worlds of industrial techno and broken beats, which will rip out your spine and play it like a xylophone, whilst grinning inanely.

First up is Execute with is incessant techno riff dropping in and out of time with clever pitched variations, whilst a steady stepped rhythm builds and insane fx pan around the stereo field. As things start to settle into a groove it builds and drops into more dubstep friendly synths whilst the crunchy robotic rhythms pound into your brain. Very clever music which will appeal to more diverse and experimental jocks and those partial to whatever stepped rhythms….very accomplished.

Thrash is a much more ambient piece with sparse rhythms , discordant pads and rhythmic noise sequences which then drop into a stepping dubby rhythm. Growling edgy synths burble into occasionally triumphant roars, which provide a very sinister overview of the piece as it gurgles along with intent.

Collide opens with more enticing glitch sequences and insane movements in subtly distorted bass. I can see this music applying to people that dig Autechre’s more experimental work, as well as anybody that is into the more experimental fringes of current breaks and bass music. Really impressive stuff that never lets you settle as it rambles without hope through the dark passages of time.

Execute is accompanied by a Black Mass remix that uses the original sounds well to pursue a much more straight rhythmic course, which occasionally breaks down into clever drops before the driving bass kicks back in and along, very tidy indeed.

Finally Thrash is accompanied by a Rory St John Remix which initially fools with a 4/4 rhythm before dropping back into broken beats and 4/4 effortlessly, using the same scratchy off kilter percussion and data spasms as the original, finishing in a steady stepping groove with occasional pads creeping through offering some light into what is a seriously dark and crunchy excursion. This finishes an ep with very gloomy and serious intent that is really fantastically accomplished electronica; very polished, with some serious fear factor, great stuff!

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Surveillance is Out Now

http://acroplanerecordings.bandcamp.com/album/surveillance

Swarm Intelligence Soundcloud

http://www.swarmintelligence.net/

http://www.acroplane.org/