On this CD, one-man electronic band
Kettel offers up 12 tracks of unpretentious, percussion-driven drum'n'bass, layered with herky-jerky little one-finger synth melodies and more leisurely minor-key drones. The general effect is simultaneously languorous and playful, with the occasional hint of something darker. Tracks such as "Top Space," "Stair Witch Study," and "Caffleback Mobile" have a techno-funk groove, and the latter uses a dampened piano sample that resembles a marimba or even steel drums. In terms of complexity, at least half the 12 pieces on the disc have the transparency of old-school e-music -- more than a touch of vintage
Tangerine Dream or
Larry Fast, for example -- with a touch of Tiki bar loungecore, thanks to the rather stiff drum programming. Nothing wrong with recapitulating the past, of course, but this ground is already well broken. The most interesting tracks are those that veer away from the predictable, give
Kettel's imagination free rein, and suggest greater things to come: "Angel's Answer," for example, with its strange vocal loops and more mellow, impressionistic keyboards, or "We'll End Up Pneumatic," which likewise has an amusing vocal loop, together with a more dynamic, complex rhythmic foundation that invites more involvement from the listener. So the seeds have perhaps been sown for something a bit more challenging and original on
Kettel's next go-round.