Synthase - Biochip (CPU)

Title: Synthase

Artist: Biochip

Label: CPU

Cat Number: CPU01001110

Genre: Electro/Techno

1: M.O.

2: Simulated Events

3: Frame Shift

4: Doctor Effect

5: Acid Billy

6: Tone Forest

7: Information Superhighway

8: Dusty Dossier

A debut release, recorded live you say? Well colour me interested; particularly if its being released on a label which gets it right to such an extent that the very action of doing so can now be regarded as conceptual. The little snippets of information that I have been able to garner thus far have all told me the same thing, that this is a release which reeks of early Aphex and Autechre. Well, even though I was around at the time and have a reasonable recollection of said stuff, I’m ignoring it all and going in eyes wide shut. Listened point to point this release is a very gratifying linear experience. Everything is swathed in aural Vaseline, eschewing precise definition and focus. The melancholia is strong, but not overwhelming and there is just the right amount of restraint. That is until we get to ‘Acid Billy’, which feels bizarrely out of place. Having said that, as it introduces the second side of the vinyl release it does herald a game of two halves, with ‘Tone Forest’, ‘information Superhighway’, and ‘Dusty Dossier’ adding extra syncopated support. That’s not to say the first four tracks lack energy, but there is a vibe departure after ‘Doctor Effect’, which I like very much. I like this release a lot, and its making me think about things I don’t normally think about, which has to be good.