- It seems like Benjamin Thomas learned a lot from his work with Best Available Technology. Their collaborative album was the first time Thomas had really been exposed to analogue hardware, which ate away at the digital sheen of his sound like a bad case of CD rot. Now with the first release on his new Brack label, he's taking that experience and applying it to his solo material.
Brack 001 goes full-on techno, after Thomas gestured in that direction with last year's Coil 12-inch on Delsin. Kick drums, hi-hats, a few synth sounds and not much more, it's a new side of BNJMN that suits him. "Keel" is the most basic, powering forward at 140 BPM with crunchy chords that'd make it a fine peak-time tool, while "Luster" explores wet analogue synths, dressing up a plain rhythm track with all sorts of filter work. Both are powerful but somewhat anonymous, with Thomas's characteristic traits only shining through on "Penumbra." Starting out like another hyper-aggressive techno track, Thomas soothes the off-key chords with the luxurious synth work of his older albums. It's a fine marriage between the wonderment of old BNJMN and these dirtier sounds, and one that points to good things ahead.
TracklistA1 Luster
B1 Penumbra
B2 Keel