Review: Giorgio Gigli & Obtane - Perception Through Dissonance (Prosthetic Pressings PP039)

This is a release by two of the most interesting Italian techno producers, following on from their 2012 release A Sad Wandering Dreamer Trapped In Contemporary Memory Architectures which I reviewed for Trebuchet. Here the work is not quite as widescreen in its approach but more focussed.

Industrial Assaults is a rather deceptive title for a typically lenghty Gigli/Obtane track with a chugging bassline accompanied by mournful drones. The mood it creates is akin to some of the atmosphere of darker Plastikman tracks of the late 1990s, but it's a little colder and more formal than its predecessors.

The Rrose Remix also has a trace of Plastikman's Consumed era sound, but is more dancefloor-oriented and less bleak. Ascending and descending sequences are tightly filtered and tweaked becoming increasingly acidic as the track develops. The remix isn't quite typical of either remixer or artists and delivers something unexpected and satisfying.

Surprisingly, it's on the functionally-titled final track Ambient Drama where the two old collaborators' formula works most effectively. It's bleak yet anthemic, based around a slow but resolute bassline that pushes it forward, a great track for starting or finishing a mix and highly immersive on headphones or at high volume.