abdulla rashim - UNANIMITY (listen/read)

i reviewed abdulla rashim's excellent new album unanimity for RA! you can go read the review here, and you can give the LP a try over here on bandcamp, or through the player below:

i stand by everything i wrote in that review, but as a bit of an addendum...

lately i've been mostly unimpressed with what's going on in the world of techno. there's a lot of stale hype floating around, and substance is scarce among all the big brand names. furthermore, full-length highlights for the genre have been few and far between, with the results usually being better near the fringes. (a notable exception, sadly, is kangding ray's recent album, which for me is a disappointment; more on this later.)

unanimity is one of those highlights. with it, rashim has found a sweet spot amidst tumbling, textured drums and off-the-deep-end ambiance. there's a sense of endlessness here - unique but similar to some of the scene's other inspired and refreshingly emotional efforts - and those crafty, off-kilter 3/4 tracks are examples and reminders of an approach that is, unfortunately, rarely pursued elsewhere. this album is a distinctively mesmerizing techno trip, and for me it counts as one of the best released so far in 2014.


... now then, be on the lookout for more and more RA reviews from yours truly, coming soon!