Byetone - Symeta [Raster Noton - 2011]“Symeta” has seven tracks of what we used to condescendingly call “intelligent dance music”. At times, it reminds me of an updated, harder version of Warp’s “Artificial Intelligence” releases; not a bad thing, since I consider those early Warp albums to be beautiful creations in every respect. Byetone’s tracks share a similar sense of “anchored” futurism: the forward-looking feel and atmosphere, is tempered by the use of sounds recognisable from the present - if not past. So, to take the first track, “Topas”, as an example: after about three and a half minutes of stuttering, austere, clipped percussion, with modulating and panning blips overlaid, a one-finger synth riff appears - with the whole thing sounding remarkably like the first Nine Inch Nails album (again, not a bad thing!). In terms of melody and feel, “Symeta” is a curious collection of tracks. Whilst there are a lot of stern, atonal, “industrial” pieces; a track like “Helix” wanders very close to some kind of “industrial-techno-lite”, with its distorted beats and bass-lines. Straight after this, “Black Peace” is essentially big-beat masquerading as electronica; or vice-versa - its archaic without being futuristic: just dated. Elsewhere, industrial wheezings and clanks dominate; in a “dilapidated spaceship” kind of way. There’s a gnawing bass drone under the hip-hop-esque beats of “Golden Elegy”; while “Neuschnee” mixes floating synth lines and minimal percussion, with a decidedly uneasy undercurrent of crawling tones - making for a very tense track. The rhythms and programming on “Symeta” are often very repetitive and simple; its not a project which is dominated by meticulous, labour-intensive drum arrangements. So the patterns, whether stark and minimal or more elaborate, often play out with little tweaking or development. Instead, Byetone place more emphasis on the sounds and overall feel of the tracks. Its not an overly clinical sound-field, in terms of production; nor is “Symeta” a masterclass in production technique - instead, its an album which subtly displays its intelligence in little touches. In “Topas”, theres a wonderful section of spiralling synth screech, resonating on the edge of breaking up - which it does a few times, producing beautiful sounds. “Neuschnee” has a ghostly hiss which slowly creeps in as the track develops, becoming a backdrop of clinical static for the piece. “Opal” has detailed, disorientating drones; which flesh out the equally disorientating, panning bones of the track. So, whilst its not an album of sparkling, modernist electronica, “Symeta” has more than enough tricks to engage the ears. Rather than foregrounding these flourishes, it weaves them into the overall sound of the seven tracks; for the listener to discover for themselves. This subtle touch makes the excesses of “Black Peace” even more curious.    Martin P
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