Bioprodukt

Description

Nick Edwards Ekoplekz indulges his mini-modular rig-up with a battery-creamed bleep techno session, coaxing out a searching and cannily radiophonic-style array of dub-frayed tendrils and rubbery bass with a dippy charm

Ekoplekz returns with his fourth album for Planet Mu, in the shape of 10-tracker Bioprodukt. The unique lo-fi, woozy sound of Bristols Nick Edwards stays intact while he veers towards the nineties for inspiration: the bleep and bass sound of the north of England is one touchpoint and the acid gurgles of the 303 are another.

While the murky lo-fi production levels and evocative melodies remain, they are now bolstered by a more muscular rhythmic chassis. Snappier kicks and snares mingle with dense layers of percussion and deep undulating sub-basslines adding a funkier edge, as typified by opening track Elevation where playful beats interlock with breezy keyboard flourishes to create something uncharacteristically upbeat. Similarly, the gentle, fluid motion of Slipstream and Calypzoid represent some of the most appealingly chilled grooves in the Ekoplekz canon to date.

But the darker-edged material remains. Expedition has a pensive, percussion-heavy feel whilst Acrid Acid is a dirt-encrusted slow-mo techno meltdown. Transcience displays the Ekoplekz trademark dub-fx in full flight over a driving lo-end, before Descent leads down to the final section, where the beats fade out, replaced by rippling layers of spectral ferric ambience on the epic Low-X Over, before finishing with the radiant looped stasis of Denier Daze.