Disintegrated Deviations Various Artists Disintegration State Records | The Electro Review

Disintegrated Deviations
Various Artists
Disintegration State Records
TBR: 6th September


What began in an undisclosed electronic music forum between a handful of like-minded makers is now a thriving record label. With a reputation for collectable hard copies and digital for everyone else, it didn't take long before people were climbing up the walls to get their hands on one of the limited issues. It's been a whole year since the Disintegration State family began putting music into the world. They've created 36 titles spanning 25 major releases in this short time! Deciding to mark the annual anniversary with a stunning rework of some of the headlining acts the label has to offer, Disintegrated Deviations brings a host of re-mixes that show us exactly how versatile and accessibly experimental these guys can be.


It opens with aerated synths, radiating a sonic glow in shards of key. A quick paced drum-beat, minimal and non-intrusive, surges forward and it carries with it a rambling bass. The plucked electro blips gander along well-lit windows, reflections of sound bouncing back at various natural angles. Squidgy tones rise above the viscous flow to establish a sludgy and organic facet to the motion. Swirling pattens on pad synthesiser drift in sporadic flurries of tented flight. The Arran Trax remix of Negating Time In Tlon by Veins Full Of Static carries a sense of the eerie while simultaneously bringing out a digital spectrum of party atmospheres.


The Sceadu remix of Sunbane's Cog begins on a swirling hypnotic synthesiser sound that unravels into drum and bass style grooves. Smooth metal work chimes alongside wooden and bass driven drum sounds. Soon a space-age worming synthesiser melody breaks free along with a backbone of drooping bass that shimmers as its droplets swing from leafy edges. The amplitudes mingle and coalesce, and this brings on a moving symphony of unusual sounds propped up and held together by a truly funky tempo. The energy keeps going at full throttle, even when the drums break down for a brief interlude, a humming fizz in the music ensures that the potential doesn't leave the building.


Next, a stuttering bass-line introduces a throbbing kick-drum. As they grow and merge to form a juicy layer of rhythm, a section of atmospheric synths ride in on a cloudy surf. Robotic bleeps and satellite sounds chatter across vast sonic spaces. Then, a roll of thunder in the form of scratchy drums at a healthy volume cuts through to illuminate the piece. More racing drive pushes in as undercurrents of sound rev into higher pitches of drone. Electronic glitch and atmosphere dive in an ocean of excellent composition to arrive at secluded rocky venues of expression. Throwing Hexes by Veins Full Of Static gets a spacious and exploratory remix from Lo – Jacker. It concludes with fairy-tale like chimes whistling out across windy plains of forgotten childhoods.


Worriedaboutsatan takes on Perpetual Storm from Lowering. It opens with a slow burning array of heat and tone which crests the fiery wave. As we listen intently, wobbling under-surges build into rays of sub-sonic light formations. Ripples in the footholds give us reason to hold onto something solid, we wait for the music to grow and we find it in the neatly manicured ambience beneath. Distant motifs of melody break from rank in snippets of digested fray while summer currents gust the dusty remnants into sunlit clouds of deeply coloured particles. Ghostly banks of forgotten sidings bray with invisible life as on some level, it's as if nothing ever changed.


Reverse notes and oddly sounding sonics swish in treetop style projections of desert island sound. Notched and adjusted, the stand-alone compositions gradually fill out with rumbles of aeroplane which begin to throb and distort in their ever present flight over-head. Static taps break the motion with individual bites of rhythmic underlay that becomes a mattress for far reaching cymbals, clattering in time to the propellers. More cymbals and heavy snare quake trough the cracks in the stave to bring yet another dimension to the dynamic of this Steve Hadfield Rainbow Remix of Pink Waves by The Gibraltarians. It progresses into deep orchestral voices that murmur and chorale within bursts of summery Spanish guitar.


Zoner II now, a track by Mute Branches, and Steve Hadfield offers another remix. It has a looped melody that grows in fractal branches of emotive flurry and joyous frolic. Drums canter alongside hedges of thickly twined shrubs and bushes which reach out beyond the horizon. Under-tones of notes drift in melancholy styles while evocative and introspective meanderings froth and curdle in time. It's followed by a staggered and juttery loop combo that brings in swirling sonics and swishing mechanicals. Strange organ sounds drift on warm breezes to give a sunshine and abstract glow to the production. Dreamland feels with onward marching footsteps in time to the sound of nature gives the number a tranquil activity sensation. Some Neon Winter by Sunbane gets a fresh look courtesy of Devras Plexi.


This is replaced by an Everything But The Kitchen Sink remix of Jacob Nico's Gemini by Steve Hadfield. It opens with a strange vocal sample, unintelligible phonics garble onward to reveal a chanting atmosphere full of reverb. A female voice adds its colour to the mix while a stable beat grabs from the middle. Interesting frills on the cymbals and drum structure make the interesting elements reach beyond the top layer of melody. It's a slow and ambient style mix yet it carries a profound energy that steadily grows from established root-holds. Track nine opens with a slowly approaching beat that grumbles with a bass led drone. This evolves to become swirling winds that crest around our ears as abstract nature spills in from the outside. A slow moving beat cusps on the edge of the sonic foray before more rippling sounds distort and disorientate the flow. This Fuzzy Plates of Dub remix of Steve Hadfield's Leg Bop from Whettman Chelmets makes a collage from pieces snipped and crafted from the initial distinctive original.


The album finishes with Adventsong as Fragile X offers a remix of Into The Mist. Futuristic tones with euphoric edges chortle into twisting ribbons of sound while bassoon like under-tones growl and groan in their evenly spaced places. As synthesiser sounds evolve and clap with clever composition, a drum penetrates the wall of sound. Quick drums barge through the undergrowth of twisting vines and subtle melody. All becomes one as distinct flavours mingle in neat lines around a central core of energy. It's a great place to finish the album, leaving us excited and intellectually satisfied.


Buy/Pre-order your copy of Disintegrated Deviations from Bandcamp. Proceeds go to the Mermaids and Bloody Good Period charities.


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