subVariant, 2004
This is traditional IDM along the lines of Warp’s classic Artificial Intelligence series. Sometimes melodic, sometimes complex, the textures here are key. “It’s Fuzzbang” is slow-building with layers of repetitive synth patterns and beats. “Late Blazing Kinch Theme” is simple and bass-heavy. While the title “Wineglass Chopstick Clinkrush” sounds like an IDM parody, the track is actually a pretty combination of piano sounds and thumping beats. On “Belmont Killa,” bleeps and eighties keys meld perfectly with soulful vocal samples. There are a few misses here and there, but overall this is a decent debut. While the sounds here will be familiar to anyone who’s listened to electronic music in the past ten years, Liz McLean Knight has a solid grasp of the past, and I’m certain she has some surprises in store for the future as well.