End
Science/Fiction
End first came to
my attention with his remix for Snog on their “Relax Into the Abyss” album,
where he provided a quirky, razor sharp mix of the typically scathing Are
You Normal Enough?. Following a
preview track on the “Masonic” compilation earlier this year, we are now
presented with End’s debut release on Hymen Records, “Science/Fiction”, an
album which was composed entirely with software synthesis and samples. End is not the first the act to do this, nor
will he be the last. The reason I
mention it is that this project is all about forward thinking and looking
towards the developments of tomorrow [as the album title suggests], so this
eschewing of outboard gear is his statement; flying the flag for the future of
not merely electronic music, but composition in general.
With such grandiose
intentions, it would be hard for the music to live up to the hype, but
thankfully it does. Immediately we are
surrounded by otherworldly sounds, arpeggiating out a peculiar little melody
like the twinkling control panels from 1960s sci-fi movies – this is the sound
of sheer technology. End seems to try
and capture to current electronica zeitgeist in this entire opening track;
moving as he does through sharp techno beats in the style of Xingu Hill, to
Autechre-like granular crunching and hip-hop influenced [imitated]
scratching. It is all a bit
overwhelming at first and, as such, most of the tracks do not make much of an
impact upon the first listen. This is
not an album that we can simply consume; it must be explored, taking time to
appreciate every subtle nuance of the compositions.
The rest of the
album continues in this manner, assimilating various features of modern
IDM/electronica into each composition, reappropriating them towards his own unique
style of music. The tracks that I feel
display this to its fullest effect are Global Media Engine which had
previously aired on the “Masonic” compilation, with its blend of scraping noise
and synthesized, rhythmic blips; Society of the Spectacle with its
glitchy, plunderphonic orchestral refrain building into an almost futuristic
hip-hop track; and closing track, the epic Dead Media with its
indescribable rhythmic sounds and underpinning electronic air, moving into bars
of dismantled piano lines, ethnic percussion and ultimately closing on a
grandiose, cinematic string line.
In all, “Science/Fiction”
is certainly a strong album, and for me, one of the highlights of the Hymen
catalogue. The problem I see with it is
that for something that is ostensibly so forward thinking, it comes across
sounding undeniably contemporary. There
is nothing new here, except some unexpected combinations of sounds. We have seen all these tricks before and End
would be intolerably dull if he didn’t manage to perform them as well as he
does. Electronic wizardry, or a mere
fluke? I’d like to think it was the
former, but only time will tell…
Gavin Lees
04.12.2k2