Fans of experimental techno may not have known what to expect from
Joseph Fraioli's second
Datach'i full-length. Four years separated it from his debut, We Are Always Well Thank You, and his style of chaotic, metallic drill'n'bass had nearly disappeared in the interim. Surprisingly, however, the
Datach'i style of yore was still in full force for his first record on
Mike Paradinas' Planet µ. "Ed's Head" and "Penvag," the first two tracks on Mmale and Ffemale, comprise a near-constant volley of digital drums and effects, all of them as though splattering on a wall directly in front of the listener. Close listening, however, reveals that
Fraioli has improved his programming skills, wielding his sampler and processing elements with an easy grace and dexterity; "Evolving as One" finds him expanding into a world of digital composition reminiscent of historic sound sculptors
Iannis Xenakis or Edgard Varèse. ~ John Bush