Marcus Schmickler - Altars of Science [Editions Mego - 2007]Altars of science is a very messing with your head experience, it’s built around a collection of accelerating, stretched, droning and bent electronic tones which Marcus Schmickler has put together in often jarring, breathless, alarming and at time almost suffocating sound collages. The release is split into eight parts running just shy of 40 minute mark all togeather, coming in standard audio and DVD + format so you can really feel it stretching and bending your mind. Alot of the eight tracks start off relatively subdued & stripped down, as he filters past you building-up, accelerating and droning electronic tones, that he often suddenly cuts in and out at the most jarring and brain jerking manner leaving you checking you equipment for faults. As the pieces progresses he lets your mind settle less and less in one place, as he winds out dense nets of strange pulled out and melting harmonic electro structures that shift, morph or suddenly stop. Giving one the feeling that something has gone wrong with your balance and gravity, for Christ sake don’t play this after a few beers it could screw you for good. As the tracks progresses they become alot denser and suffocating, like been enveloped by complex techno structures or buildings- this could be the soundtrack to JG Ballard at his most paranoid and techo fearful. Though there are noise elements here it never losers it’s control or atmosphere, every element is heard and felt- like trying to feeling your way around some vast shifting complex mathematic shape with your eyes closed. A brain frying and reality altering slice of electronica- chaotic and deranged yet very controlled, which rewires your brain to Schmickler own sound reality- that seems to deify sonic logic. Roger Batty
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