Skam レコード& CD

Review: It's been a long time between drinks for Darrell "Bola" Fitton, a long serving IDM explorer who released five fabulous albums on Skam between 1998 and 2007. D E G, his first album in a decade, is a predictably beguiling and atmospheric affair. Beginning with the sumptuously spacey ambient sweep of "Fhorth", Fitton delivers a master class in hard-to-pigeonhole electronica. While some tracks are reminiscent of some of Autechre's more melodious moments (see "Herzzatzz" and the acid-flecked "Pelomen Vapour 2"), others draw influence from Rephlex style braindance (see the sharp synth riffs and bustling beats of "Landor 50X2"), spaced-out post-dubstep electronic folk ("Evensong") and ghostly, post-apocalyptic ambience ("Pelomen Vapour 3"). Throughout, it remains a hugely entertaining affair.

Review: VHS Head is an artist whose methods automatically bless him with an undeniable novelty appeal. Having made a name for himself by exclusively sourcing all of his samples from his very own VHS tape collection, he now presents his latest album Phocus for Skam. Recalling something akin to an entirely musical version of James Ferraro's 'Rapture Adrenaline', the album is a conceptual whirl of B-movie horror samples and gothic sci-fi splicery, synthesizing a new horror narrative unto its itself.