Signal — Robotron

Signal finds all the mainstaysof the raster-noton label/collective; Olaf Bender, Frank Bretschneider & Casten Nicolai,working together to form an Abstract/ minimalist electronic supergroup. Robotro their second album finds them offering up some of their most rewarding, consistent and atmospheric work- to come from either of the three or the label as a whole.

This just feels so much more edgy, urgent and sleek compared with much of their other work, sure all the elements are here you’d expect; weird glitchy and shorting beat-craft, looped hypnotic patterns and cold sterile vibe. They've mananged to deepen, make denser and more dramatic their sound make-up, with more complex rhythmic movements and building going on within each track. Also wired in are some wonderful cold and clinical melodic elements, impressive walls of ambient sound and throbbing metallic bass lines that are hovering underneath and weave through the complex beat craft constructions.

Every track manages to keep your attention, they never just result to looping out the same patterns with little change(which they have done in the past). These tracks building, morph and change themselves like self building robots or complex programming code that alter their patterns regularly. It flows well as a whole album, each track keeping a similar vibe and air through out, but varying and growing the sound outwards.The tracks are from over a long period of time dating between 2001 to 2006, so it’s clear they wanted to build their masterpiece which they've surely succeeded in doing here.

This stands as one of this years electronic highlights and one of the labels top 5 releasers. It’s cold, edgy & complex yet strangly appealing and listenable.