I don't really follow trends in Minimalist Tekno these days (it's so mid-nineties, maaaan), but the "Research EP" by the mysterious Sleeparchive has got my heart all a-flutter for austere 4/4 experimentation again. Apparently this is their third release and the others are already sold-out, so I guess there must be a few others out there who are appreciating this shit too. The title track sets the agenda perfectly - held down by the constant kik-drum pulse as a small palette of electronic handclaps, bass- synth notes on the half-beat, drills (?), skittering compu-rhythm snares and occasional flourishes of reverb and echo weave a spell that's hard to snap out of if you get in too deep.But what exactly is being researched here? Surely the data has already been compiled in the intervening decade? I guess that it's a personal quest, a self-serving investigation into the heart of the machine. And like Daft Punk, it does what it does extremely well. Everything in it's right place and not a single sound wasted. Lean, efficient and totally absorbed in the moment. I actually find it quite relaxing to listen to, even though it couldn't ever be described as ambient/listening muzik. Sleeparchive make rigid, economical four-beats-to-the bar machine beats sound fresh once again; as natural as a babe sucking on the breast. Back to that Mama heartbeat...
The "Research EP" is still available at Boomkat. Grab it while you can!
