The Answer Is In The Beat

Erik Waterkotte + Ryan Huber: …And Now They Are Gone CDr + Ryan Huber: Kanab CDr (Inam Records, 2016)

February 22, 2016 at 10:54 pm | Posted in Reviews | Leave a comment

Two new CDr’s have just arrived from RH on Inam Records. The one with Erik Waterkotte is the less limited of the two (at 80 copies), and it has fancier, screen printed packaging. The music is pretty different than Huber’s usual work; a lot of it is more hissing, scraping, and field recordings, and not as much in the way of beats or rhythmic drones. The first few tracks feel like they were recorded in a factory. “…antag: v” feels a bit more glitchy and computer-generated. The tracks that follow are more haunted drone. “…antag: vii” is pretty lovely; “…antag viii” is a repetitive, slow throb. “…antag: ix” is footsteps, buzzing, and the distant sound of something falling or knocking. The buzzing gets louder. “…antag: x” is another factory drone which seems like it’s going to build or change but it doesn’t.

The second CDr (and the more limited, and honestly better, of the 2) is named after one of Utah’s finest cities. This one only has 3 tracks, but the first one is a phenomenal 15 minute burner, with a thumping beat barely keeping afloat while churning feedback noise growls away on top of it. It’s hard to tell if it ends up crossfading to another beat, or if the one beat keeps going and shifting down a bit. Regardless, it’s hypnotic and goes on for a really long time and it’s incredible. “Lantern” sounds like harsh, ripping wind with a loop of some sort of chatter underneath. After the 4 minute piece ends, it abruptly shifts to “Red Gods, which has an upfront techno beat chattering away over a void-like drone. Really, though, the beat is what takes up most of your attention. Near the end, there’s some bubbly effects around the beat, and then the track actually has a proper ending where the beat deconstructs before dropping out entirely.