NEWCLEAR WAVES - Newclear Waves

The puppet-master mind behind Mannequin Records, one of the most important labels behind the rediscovery of past wave gems (the Danza Meccanica series, the reissues of Central Unit and Janitor Of Lunacy) and the release of interesting new projects (Octavius, Mushy), Alessandro Adriani is also the deus ex machina behind the Newclear Waves project.

A frozen, post-nuclear future, rarefied and claustrophobic atmospheres, futuristic rhythms and voices mangled by jagged mechanisms: these are the contours of a debut work that loves the past just as much as it loves the evolution of sound. If amid its leaden folds we find shades of early Mute or the less ethereal side of 4AD, it's to balance a not-too-hidden passion for the soundtracks of John Carpenter and the aesthetics of directors like Lynch and Cronenberg.

"Dust" and "The End Of The Cold War" follow this balance between radioactive dust and anti-contamination suits, before giving way to tracks with a more complex, lyrical texture like "Fading" and "The Black Hand", two compositions that build on a minimal, anxiety-inducing rhythmic line, in a hypnotic mantra of scorched hues. A grey spiral of electromagnetic pulses spinning in on itself in search of a crossroads, a path through shattered windows and broken staircases.

Less paranoid and softer in its contours is "Tishina", in which Xiu's faint voice (voice and live synth) gathers strength under the rays of an opaque dawn. A frenetic, jagged movement opens onto a suspended, ethereal space, before following a heartbeat pulse toward the conclusion of an ecstatic prayer. But it's the only truly human expression in a rationalized future, in which even the sea ("Where The Sea Stands Still") moves, writhes and collapses amid imperceptible strings of 1s and 0s.

An infinite horizon unfolds in algorithmic projection, stretched between the icy pulsations of Eighties coldwave and a raw, vivid vision of the future. Without needless name-dropping, fully aware of its own roots and its own vision, the Newcleare Waves project develops its film in its own soft darkroom.

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03/07/2012