| There is just something enchanting about IDM done right. Through purely a mechanical process, a good electronica artist can breed emotion through a seemingly simple process of programming rhythm and melody. It’s not necessarily rocket science and typically easy to decipher from a listening standpoint, but utilizing just the right balance of equipment, samples and production is definitely a talent. If it weren’t, we would certainly not hold artists like Boards of Canada or Plaid in such high esteem. And in some aspects, while agonizingly obsessed over programming may never be held in the same respects as say a jazz improviser, acclaimed vocalist or a guitar virtuoso, there is something to be said for an artist that can wrangle emotion out of stone-cold sine waves, erroneous clicks and static. London-based multimedia artist Mat Ranson had no intention of diving into the world of IDM, ambient techno, downtempo or whatever electronica subsidiary that may categorize his music. Bedroom sound doodling while at Art College in Birmingham, England escalated to collaborating in 2003 with Highpoint Lowlife Records, a club-spurred multi-genre release imprint based in London via San Francisco. Now dubbed Fisk Industries, Ranson was able to release is intricately designed melodic-yet-crunchy IDM aside similar-minded artists like Recon, DoF, Marshall Watson and n.Ln. Like the entire Highpoint Lowlife roster, Ranson is not necessarily out to revolutionize the genre with his Fisk Industries moniker; it’s more about exploring the possibilities and relationships of the tools involved. Attempting to elaborate on the seeds planted by Aphex Twin, Autechre, Boards of Canada, Oval, Mouse on Mars and Plaid without straight mimicking their sound. Seeking to breathe life into electronic machinery and seeing what emotion really does exist in those confusing pathways of wires and circuits and breakers and whatever else makes electronics electrocute. Already making noise in London and it’s surrounding areas with four years of ten-inch EPs, digitally released work and other singularities, Ranson has now teamed up with the always entertaining Mush Records to both cull and release his collected material stateside. The two-disc set aptly titled EPs and Rarities features both properly released The Isle of Wight and 77 and Rising ten-inch EPs as well as four other exclusively digital EPs and five previously unreleased songs. Though the release dates involved span back to 2003, all of the material fits seamlessly together while letting Ranson dip his toes in the aforementioned electronica genres (IDM, ambient techno, downtempo) as well as dub, minimal techno, left-field house, glitch and illbient as well. I know that sounds like a bunch of similar style regurgitation, but they are all tags that Fisk Industries could be filed under, so just be aware. The first disc featuring the two previously released ten-inches is definitely the go-to point for newcomers. Ranson has as good a grasp on manipulating analog synths into sparse, emotion-drenched melodies as either of the Boards, but definitely surrounds the core with more minimal isan- or Isolée-like minimal blip-rhythms than Boards’ drum breaks. And while The 2003’s Isle of Wight EP may owe just a little too much influence to the ambient electronica pioneers, 2006’s 77 and Rising adds a heavy dub influence to further the cause. “Liquid Silver Moments” for example submerges the bass-line leaving only the lowest of frequencies to pulse along the delicate, skittering rhythm, deep analog keyboard breaths and the sparse vocoderized vocals. Later on, “Close” sounds like it was almost produced through an actual bass, but processed heavily and colored in with synthetic string flourishes and twinkling electronic pings. The second disc is a more random assortment of styles being a collection of mostly singles and unreleased tracks. Ranson teases his sound in both more upbeat and cluttered directions (“Columbia”) as well as the opposing sparse and ambient attempts (“On Thursday”). He manages to find such a welcoming balance on the first disc, I doubt I’ll revisit the second one nearly as often. And it should be noted that while very enjoyable, Fisk Industries is not releasing any music that has not been purveyed time and again since the mid-90s, when we all got sick of guitars for the moment and yearned for something different. It is, though, a nice, unpretentious culmination of the many sub-styles that have immerged in the last decade, and that certainly counts for something. I for one would take it over something like the progressive-trance overly climatic music of The Field any day. It’s something much more endearing with it’s simple and tasteful demeanor. - Audiversity |
2XLP/Out Of Print