Gescom
A1-D1

THE REVIEW

This mini CD collects two 12'' released in a limited version in 2007, "A1-B1" and "C1-D1", two EPs that, more than complementing each other, cancel each other out, perhaps appearing unsuitable for a single format. Indeed, while the first is quite anonymous, the second is absolutely spectacular, among the absolute peaks of the Gescom entity.

Let's start with the less successful part, then, that "A1-B1" which shows us the mysterious English team dealing with samples, citationism, and revival. "A1" samples a gem for connoisseurs of another era ("Space Dust", a disco adaptation of the Star Trek theme by some Galactic Force Band of which little is known), and it does so by turning it into an original breakbeat piece full of brilliant ideas, a juxtaposition of old school and 'new school' perhaps not very new and slightly naive but spot on; "A2" is not exciting, an acid track along the lines of the loved/hated "Analord" series, which brings back old drum machines and vintage 303s, rewriting acid house in a more modern perspective, with avant-garde manipulations while preserving its raw and analog spirit. Furthermore, almost as if we hadn't focused well on the tribute to the genre, it also places a sample from an absolute master of 80s acid house, "Downfall" by the legendary Armando. "B1" samples "Come With Us" by David Byrne & Brian Eno, it's a breaks/funk/idm hybrid on the lines of the other two tracks, it doesn't leave a mark and the samples seem quite out of place.

The second part, "C1-D1", is instead a tribute to hip hop, a not at all new influence for the seminal English project; despite the titles, which are limited to the sides, imagination is not lacking here. "C1" is simply monumental, a hip hop experiment with intentionally out-of-sync, pseudo-random, and confusing rhythmic fragments that would drive even the most experienced MC crazy. On "C2," a very nervous noise canvas blasted at about 600 bpm seems to want to take us back to the non-places of "Gantz Graf," only to then head back to hip hop territories. Rather than sampling the Chicago-house classic "No Way Back" (Adonis), "D1" takes the entire track, implementing a process of deconstruction and destruction that is remarkable, making it in some moments even superior to the original.

It is most likely the only Gescom chapter where Autechre do not seem to be involved, and it shows.