N1L - Mud Diver

  • Share
  • Having helped establish the oblique style of Lee Gamble's UIQ label, the Latvian artist Martins Rokis migrates to the equally open-minded Where To Now? for his third release as N1L. "Chasing The Sun" is a daring opener that neatly encapsulates how unpredictable Rokis can be. Blushed harmonics burst skywards over knackered drums and then disappear into a black hole of crushed sonics. The transformation from beauty to bleak drama is complete when Rokis introduces a swaggering lead synth teeming with kinetic anger. Its exit is as sudden as its entrance. "Jaget Och Maskerna" is the real highlight, expanding on the obtuse dance movements of N1L's previous UIQ release. Thick splashes of synthetic colour à la Actress unfurl like a succession of messy slaps to the face, grabbing your attention before they're pulled away to reveal a backbone of reduced techno bent out of shape. "Clockroach" is roiling dub techno slowed to a deathly crawl, as Rokis exploits the space between its muffled beats to crank up the paranoia. The brief "Mud Diver" doesn't serve much function beyond offering a diversion into queasy sound design, so it doesn't add much to what's otherwise another promising record from Rokis.
  • Tracklist
      A1 Chasing The Sun A2 Mud Diver B1 Jaget Och Maskerna B2 Clockroach
RA