SVBKVLT - Cache 01

Still fairly removed (for now) from Western distribution circuits, the Chinese electronic scene shows enormous ferment and vitality, in a proliferation of local contexts, labels and producers that fuel growth and the drive to experiment, feeding a virtuous circuit that shows no sign of slowing down. Among the labels that have contributed most to the flourishing of the scene (which has since expanded to draw in artists and producers from neighbouring countries), Gaz Williams's Svbkvlt undoubtedly plays a leading role, having become a point of reference for the most experimental and off-kilter strains of electronic and club culture. Serving as a compendium of the label's first six years of life, "Cache 01" is a collection that highlights its strong drive for expressive exploration and its nature as an artistic gathering place, open to musicians from across the Far East, with no regard for genre or geographic boundaries. All of it geared toward moving past convention, and toward revitalising and repositioning a wide range of sonic languages.

In several respects, Svbkvlt's aim isn't all that far removed from what unites the various post-club scenes scattered around the world: what breaks any overly simplistic comparison is the strong heterogeneity of the material presented, whose multicultural character lends the collection a sonic complexity that can't always be traced back to deconstructed architectures or an aggressive sound design. Not that there's any shortage of tracks that fit squarely within the deconstructed vein (the jagged trajectory of "Sinking" by fellow label artist Hyph11e, as indebted to breakbeat syncopation as it is to leaden digital-ambient atmospheres; the industrial-tinged sonic swarms of Mun Sing's "A War In Heaven"), but the collection soon reveals its own distinct character, and the richness of the label's roster, among the most versatile in the field.

From the collaboration between the already well-known Tzusing and the UK's Hodge on "Electrolytes", which uses rapid-fire human groans as a rhythmic pulse in a track with sinister gqom affinities, to the ambient-techno laid-backness of "Metagame" by Korean artist MIIIN (whose production design also touches on serene new-age vistas), what stands out is the strong expressive versatility of the producers gathered here, building a vital electronic imaginary.

Ambitious interweavings of gamelan and gabber ("Sangkakala II" by the extremely prolific Balinese outfit Gabber Modus Operandi), the meticulous construction of the acid patterns on Gooooose's "Arp Kicks", almost suggesting an absence of rhythmic centre of gravity, and the melodic footholds of the closing "Reverie": if there was ever a need to put on record the level and skill reached by sound artists and producers across Asia, "Cache 01" offers a reliable snapshot of it, while also laying the groundwork for a substantial broadening of horizons. Svbkvlt has every reason to look forward to its future.

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20/09/2019