This split sees the recent analog synth / new age revival strained through industrial eyes. Â The synths bubble and arpeggiate, but in a harsh way. Â This gives it a musicality and progression that is shy of harsh noise without giving up the intense edge. Â Regosphere lean toward this noisier side more than the Vexations do and lay down a bleaker atmosphere with more distortion and tighter repetitions of sound. Â Vexation is blown out but oddly uplifting, sounding like it could be the soundtrack for a bootlegged outtake from the film “Blade Runner”. Â Although I enjoy the cassette overall, it is the Vexations side which stands out for me with its darkly sci-fi sound which almost suggests destroyed futurist cities that retain some majestic beauty. Â Both projects are one man outfits, the former being Andy Quitter from the Midwest, and the latter Levi Berner of Portland, OR. Â Levi is the one behind this label and it is nice to see him putting out recordings again after a period of only focusing on live performance. Â Like some of the other releases on his new label, this comes with two nested double-sided j-cards with b&w imagery. Â Unfortunately the edition of 60 was already sold out before I got around to writing this review, but thankfully the music is still available as a free download from soundcloud.
Horse Worship number 3