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THE REVIEW
The artistic/compositional journey of Richard Devine - one of the most surprising musicians and "sound engineers" of recent years - reaches here, with "Asect Dsect", a more "stable" and "accessible" stage. The deep dive into sound (in its entirety) that had interested him during the composition of "Lipswitch" (Warp, 2000) and "Alea Mapper" (Schematic, 2001) comes to an end to smooth out, organize, and serve a certain musical symmetry.
In other words, although the elements of deconstruction (and, therefore, of structuralism) and sound exploration are still present, this album is decidedly less radical than the previous ones. And it is very varied: it knows how to be both powerful and delicate, both saturated and clean. A broad-ranging collage, which chooses, as a common denominator, the care of details and the auricular upheaval of the listener. Indeed, when listened to with good speakers or headphones, it appears physical, material. And in moments of explosion, the ears suffer (to believe it, listen to "Floccus" or "Itsuko").
Speaking of genres (N.B.: it goes without saying that the term here is somewhat shaky) "Asect Dsect" presents the canons of the Warp label, industrial sounds, glitch-flavored slashes, and tributes to the likes of Subotnick, Feldman, and Stockhausen. Probably, there is nothing so original; one might think we are dealing with a mannered work. But may this last adjective be taken as praise! The disciple has studied and loved the masters' lesson, but has emancipated himself, learning to utilize it in a personal way. And the union and dialectic between the musical trajectories and that physicality/materiality I mentioned earlier make the work extremely original.
A masterpiece of electronic music produced by a genius of the laptop and "synthesization".
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Summary by Bot
Richard Devine's Asect Dsect marks a more stable and accessible phase in his musical journey while maintaining deep sound exploration. The album balances power and delicacy, offering a rich and physical listening experience that combines glitch, industrial sounds, and Warp's signature style. While less radical than his earlier works, it demonstrates Devine's mastery and originality as a synthesist. Asect Dsect is praised as an electronic masterpiece by a true sound engineering genius.
