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Cloaking Device / Event Horizon

by Insectoid Intelligence

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Devona Upurok
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mrs_schnick
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1.
Cloaking Device 06:07
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2.
Event Horizon 05:50
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about

"Cloaking Device / Event Horizon" is a welcome return to form for Insectoid Intelligence after some difficult years grappling with life-altering health issues and the sudden death of a friend. This exciting new work takes the Minneapolis producer's reputation for compelling and detailed creations with a refreshing disdain for genre to new heights, resulting in a singular take on instrumental electronic music that's unafraid to inhabit its own space well beyond the limitations of the contemporary club scene; distinct, even, from much of the commercial music sphere in general.

Kicking off the proceedings with a crisp percussive belter, the stirring A-side "Cloaking Device" conjures up sci-fi noir themes, giving appreciative nods to everything from classic Italo and Space Disco, Acid House and Hardcore, to the Sheffield sound - à la Cabaret Voltaire and early Warp Records game-changers like LFO and B12 - while embracing a thoroughly contemporary sensibility. From start to finish it's an arpeggiated tour de force of cascading synths, skittering hats and lush, ethereal pads, propelled by a relentless, industrial-grade bassline courtesy of the mighty Sequential Circuits Prophet 2000. Harmonically subtle, intricately cerebral yet undeniably funky, it's not your typical dancefloor jam, but by no means would it be any less suited to such a purpose!

Upping the tempo just slightly on the flipside, "Event Horizon", is a spooky, atmospheric excursion into experimental techno, with a vibe seemingly lifted from a lost Darkside jungle dubplate - replete with skronky hardcore stabs, tape delay effects and subsonic pressure - but with the breaks replaced by a series of twisting, shifting drum machine patterns accented by exotic percussion hits. This is sampledelica taken to the nth degree, combining razor-sharp rhythms with a palette of otherworldly, gothic space opera textures. Hang on, 'cause it's a wild ride through a "rip in the very fabric of space and time"! (In addition to the more familiar and quite similar 808, used here primarily as a melodic bass instrument, discerning listeners may also note the use of CR8000 samples, featuring in particular its superior cymbal sounds).

About the cover: The original image was created using a vintage "breadbox" Commodore 64 computer using a combination of programming and text editing of individual characters. The resulting image was sent through a circuit-bent analog video processor, the output of which was captured and digitized utilizing multiple instances (or "exposures") for a variety of desired visual effects. These instances were then layered together with varying degrees of transparency in Photoshop to create the final cover image.

Mastered by Roscoe Vanadium

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released November 22, 2019

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Insectoid Intelligence Chicago, Illinois

Independent musician / dub scientist at the intersection of order & chaos

"Electromagnetic frequencies of serpentine intricacy wired into your extremities through labyrinths of circuitry."

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