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review by Dene Bebbington Dave Hickman, a.k.a. dbkaos, has previously released several sample CDs through a label specialising in samples. I believe this album is his first proper music album, though he also performs live in the South West of England where he's based. The DiN label aims to cross the bridge between earlier analogue synth sounds and modern experimental digital soundscapes and Art of Sacrifice fits in well with that goal due to its experimental nature. The first few minutes of the opening track, "Stars Look Down," can lead the listener to think this is a prelude to lots of sequencing or a synth album that could be mainly ambient with atmospheric flowing soundscapes. Then after about five minutes it settles down into the general style that is heard through most of the album - essentially it's sequencing of a sort using what could be loosely described as bleeepy and pointy sounds to create a rhythmic structure. Each track feels like a different stage of an exploration into unusual rhythms, many of which have a kind of heaviness and are not obviously pleasurable but which can be interesting if not given up on. This is a difficult album to sum up. Art of Sacrifice sits somewhere between rhythmic synth music and the more "way out there" experimental end of the spectrum. It isn't always easy to listen to due to its experimental nature, though it's interesting and somewhat likeable in places. I'd recommend it to those willing to take their musical taste off the beaten path of the more "mainstream" synth and ambient sounds. |
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