Dr. Pete Larson: Field Drift 2 LP (Great Corner Sound, 2023)

February 10, 2024 at 6:07 pm | Posted in Reviews | Leave a comment

Dr. Pete Larson: Field Drift 2 LP

Dr. Pete Larson still plays nyatiti-driven psychedelic rock, but he has been working with synths a lot lately, and has now started an electronic music label. This is one of Great Corner Sounds’ first batch of releases (the others are by Fred Thomas aka ECOATM and Rebecca Goldberg), and it’s all pieces recorded live to 2-track by Pete using unfamiliar technology. Intentionally minimal, the tracks focus on a few textures (some watery, some crunchy) and ticking beat patterns. Opener “Fence” is the closest the album gets to the aquatic flow of dub techno. “Wromp” has some nice heavy distortion, but it doesn’t get quite as saturated or dirty as most outsider house. The initially more downtempo “Humid” has some cool squirming textures and a trace of a hypnotic early trance vibe, and “Extra” is tougher and more industrial-like, ending with an ominous flatline buzz. “Pig Creep” manages to glide as well as scrape and smear. “Air Wall” tries something a little different, mostly working its way through subtly glitching ambient textures until a beat pokes its way in, speeds up, and then starts snarling with distortion. “Wave” has fun with big bass plunges, and “De-Fence” revisits the mood of the first track, but sounds a little sharper instead of washed-out.

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