seven

"colliding frequencies 2" brings together quality rhythm&noise from the top artists in the genre. you might not find something groundbreaking here, nor will you find any big surprises, but overall it is an excellent collection of all the big names in the genre contributing new and unreleased tracks. this is the reason why it will not be of interest just to newcomers, but also to anyone that has been following this style for a while.

the albums kicks off with moonsanto's "our statistics: sixty percent [starlink mix]" - glitchy, cut-up, bizarre ambience with mysterious vocal samples. converter's "ehs" is crunchy, heavy and very straightforward - energetic and very reminiscent of every other high-quality rhythmic noise out there. "bypass" by synth-etik works very well among its surroundings, I am more impressed with this track than with his full-length on hands that sounded too derivative and "technical". this track is an explosive mix of percussion and layered crunchy noises, punching and pummeling their way through the track. manufactura follows with "blind, deaf and mute" - a composition filled with minimal streamlined fast-paced rhythms overlaid with broken fluctuating noises. this is not the only direction manufactura is working in, if you got to hear his demo, he has plenty of other styles to offer - from electronica to drill&bass; watch out for the upcoming album on auricle media.

exclipset is excellent, as expected. "aparture" starts out with gentle idm framework that explodes into harsh layered percussion; the track plows through saturated electronica, occasionally supported by clean strings. I only wish that this balance of idm and rhythmic noise was more accentuated (of course, this might be my fascination with idm speaknig up). both synapscape and aural blasphemy slow down the pace, toying with delayed, slow percussion, tweaked frequencies and power electronics textures in the case of aural blasphemy. to tell you the truth, I like this approach a lot more than their aggressive material - it has a variety and a unique atmosphere that does not get overbearing with time.

"insekter" by tarmvred is building swirling, screeching noises throughout the track that seamlessly flows from quieter ambience with soaring strings to bass-heavy percussion avalanches. once again tarmvred lives up to all the expectations.

pneumatic detach, soon to be released on frozen empire media, is quite impressive stomping rhythmic material that reminded me of the incredible drive on the tracks like "erosion" off converter-asche-morgenstern cd, or "death time" off "blast furnace". both klangstabil and tamarin (daniel of mad monkey records) present monotonous rhythmic tracks with peculiar funky feel that work quite well, placed in such diverse surroundings. yet another interesting new name (at least for me) is dai with a dreamy, almost idm-like mix of broken beats and soft melodic string. cold, heavy, and yet pleasantly non-aggressive. radial slows things down even further with similar approach, mixing abrasive noise textures and strings, avoiding straightforward percussion. live version of ultra milkmaids "play - so sorry" starts out with familiar melancholic feel that is dear to anyone that is familiar with the band and develops unexpected noisy edge, piling up rasping modulated frequencies, preparing the scene for very impressive track by q-drik that slowly builds up waves and waves of saturated power electronics, setting your expectations for "long absent" by lefthandeddecision - as usual, perfectly produced and simply devastating mass of heavy power electronics. at last red reflection rounds things up in its usual cinematic manner, mixing beautiful melodies and keys with technoid percussion.

this sampler is a strong statement from frozen empire media, pulling together such diverse forces, and yet staying perfectly focused. after a few listens you would notice how well the tracks are arranged on this cd, both contrasting and blending with their surroundings. of course this review would not be complete without mentioning ben didier's artwork complementing the music with his dark organic collages.