The Return of B12
British duo Mike Golding and Steve Rutter formed B12 Records in 1990 and created some of the very first Detroit-inspired IDM. Over the next few years, they worked closely with Kirk Degiorgio’s ART label and released two albums and an EP on Warp Records. Then in 1996, they suddenly disappeared from the music scene. Now ten years later, they’re making a return, repressing old EPs, releasing new ones, and supposedly working on a 12-CD box set retrospective. Here are the first two 12-inches on their revived label.
B12: Untitled (B1215)
B12, 2007
Originally issued as a promo under the name Redcell and bootlegged since, this EP has finally gotten a proper release. On “Practopia,” synths meander over a fluttery beat. “Solitude” has a familiar-sounding but pretty melody over driving four-on-the-floor kickdrums. “New Age” contrasts a loon-like synth with a steady beat, while “Deluge (Slide Mix)” and the bonus track “Ecliptic” are both moody yet mellow. This is pleasant late-night music with nice sounds, but like a lot of B12’s nineties output, it seems strangely empty and detached.
B12: Slope
B12, 2007
This new EP is somewhat more my style. The title track is well-structured techno, with dramatic, edgy synths progressing over crisp beats. “Magnetic Fields” is more IDM-y. Atmospheric buzzing electronics and broken beats pause for a couple of strange breaks. “Static Glitch” is part acid, part electro, with slightly distorted analogue sounds bouncing between channels. While these compositions strike me as a bit tentative, they’re a hopeful sign that B12 are forging ahead.
