- Minimal dance music was once considered experimental. There are still a few labels regularly pushing the envelope—Perlon being the most obvious example—but the "experimental" tag just isn't applicable anymore. These days, most producers making this kind of music aim for a nice, clean aesthetic. And the style has become music for afterparties and long sessions, where overly dramatic sounds can negatively impact an event's atmosphere. All of which makes producers who stray from current conventions particularly attention-grabbing.
Darren Allen is one such producer. "There's far too much perfect, sweet-sounding music being released in my opinion," he recently explained over email. "There's nothing wrong with a little edginess or roughness around the edges." Allen puts his money where his mouth is on Invisible Landscape, the first release from his new Underlying Form label (named for his track-sharing Facebook group and event series). The EP collects four warped minimal cuts that sound like they could have been produced yesterday or ten years ago. The spacey "Self Evident"—my pick of the bunch—sounds like the problem child of Samuli Kemppi and Ricardo Villalobos, while the less functional "Telepathy," "Saturn (Version)" and "Moving Star" slap together different combinations of dusty drums, warped synths and tape hiss.
That said, Invisible Landscape doesn't completely nail the deranged, clanging aesthetic Allen seems to have been going for. At times you can't help but wish the drums would hit a bit harder. Regardless, this is a daring 12-inch that's hopefully a sign of interesting things to come.
TracklistA1 Self Evident
A2 Telepathy
B1 Saturn (Version)
B2 Moving Star