- Industrial techno often summons images of materials: rusted steel, crumbling concrete, junkyard scraps. Simbiosi, the duo of Andrea Bartolini and Manuel Masini, seem to think these worn-down materials are as flexible as they are reusable. Their 2015 debut, a 14-track album called Elements, comprised concise sketches with a compelling variety. There were distortion-raked loops ("Fake"), cut-and-paste collages ("Call Frm 2"), drum machine experiments ("Srmn 090") and groove-led techno tracks ("Diamond Ac"). Each track on Indastria, which presents more of the same, occupies a particular corner of Bartolini and Masini's vast wasteland.
Several tracks on Indastria suggest dysfunction. The title track, for example, has breakdowns that actually break down—a distorted kick drum collapses and knocks over its sonic neighbours. At another point, a scream of white noise drowns the beat. "Dixentra" evokes Andy Stott, with its trudge of static that seems to stumble midway. Indastria has lots of imaginative ideas, though navigating Simbiosi's grim landscape can be a test of resolve. As a series of knotted loops that never quite untangle, "TEIWSJH" might be Simbiosi's ugliest piece. "Eve," a dirty synth-led rasp, would seem ominous on most records. But its melody—the EP's only one—provides relief. The most attractive aspect of travelling through Indastria is that you're never in one place for too long.
TracklistA1 HRD90
A2 Indastria
A3 Eve
B1 Dixentra
B2 TEIWSJH