Lull & Beta Cloud — Circadian Rhythm Disturbance

Beta Cloud a.k.a. Carl T. Pace isn't new to this website. He's circulated some fine, abstract music over the past couple of years. And this collaboration with Lull ranks right up there with his best work. Lull, a.k.a. Mick Harris is known primarily for his work as/with Scorn, Painkiller & Napalm Death. Harris is no stranger to working with other artists either, as he has been a part of countless co-releases and collaborations

Circadian rhythm disorder is a phenomena which causes people to lose track of normal sleep patterns. As a result, they are wide awake during normal sleeping hours, which of course can lead to sleep deprivation, which is exactly what this twenty minute piece is intended to reflect in sound. It's abstract, yet absorbing, and the concept may not hit you upon first listen. Which is fine, because the disc bears repeating.

The music is engaging enough to entertain as active listening, as it is anything but static. It starts off with about a minute of a high piercing tone, which gives way to  echo laden ambience, somewhat akin to the sound which might emanate from a dark, abandoned room. The feeling that you are "there" is what makes this compelling listening. As the journey continues, insistent percussion tones, which pan from speaker to speaker, sounding kind of like echoing footsteps, lead you along with an increasingly nightmarish backdrop, back to the high pitched tone.

Having come full circle, the piece ends with a watery, wavy dreamlike drone, interspersed with what may or may not be human voices. A sense of unreality, verging on madness is what the listener is left with as the track comes to a close. Multiple spins in succession drive the point home rather convincingly. The repetitive and dreamlike nature of Circadian Rhythm Disturbance will do in your brain, so for sanity's sake, approach it in moderation.