- The latest addition to Adam X's Sonic Groove camp is Timothy Alexander, a Manchester-born artist who now calls Berlin home. Sentience is Alexander's first release on wax, and it comes after a few years of producing digital EPs for his own Diacope label. Unfortunately it begins with a bit of a stumble—or more precisely, a monotonous march. "Sentience I" serves as an effectively foreboding introduction to the rest of the EP, and its brutish 4/4 stomp certainly fits into Sonic Groove's rough-and-ready sound, but on its own there's not much to separate it from today's glut of industrialized techno.
"Sentience II" feels a bit more purposeful thanks to its agitating hi-hats, but otherwise it's similarly unremarkable fare. "Sentience III" and "Sentience IV," which both employ syncopated drums instead of a straight kick, form the EP's better half. Alexander sounds much more comfortable and adventurous within this rhythmic structure, as evidenced by "Sentience III"'s daring glide into (and out of) a hushed middle section and "Sentience IV"'s hazy, eastern-tinged tones.
Tracklist A1 Sentience I
A2 Sentience II
B1 Sentience III
B2 Sentience IV