Taibach — Taibach
There's more than a hint of 'raw' techno and club culture as well, firstly in the brief runtime of the release, which feels like a techno 12". The second tune "You Are Shit!" features a skittering, busy beat that comes off as a slightly more sluggish cousin of UK garage, and atmospheric stabs delayed at three beats in usual dub techno fashion. The crisp, overdriven drum tones speak to the vintage drum machine worship of the techno scene as well.
This release differentiates itself from the usual with gestures like the third piece, "Enemy Inside", sounding more like art ambient from the 12k label than techno or industrial. It begins with soft spoken vocals in a thick accent, and field recordings of birds. From there, a watery, processed chord envelops the space, possibly sourced from a piano.
Taibach's spoken vocals are present throughout most of the album, continuing through the backdrop of the beat driven tracks as well. They are muffled and difficult to make out, but this is almost certainly a stylistic choice, and the abstract ambiguity of the album could completely disappear if more of the words were audible.
Ultimately, this LP spends more time dwelling in a dreamy, sensitive nostalgia than any of the emotionally detached industrial classics by groups like Muslimgauze or Laibach, which tend towards a more intimidating atmosphere. Taibach thus places himself much closer to the techno and down-tempo scenes than industrial, despite his chosen references. That said, this is a subtle and well crafted LP, which rewards repeated plays with its clever layering of voice and ambience beneath the minimal central elements. I look forward to hearing his sonic universe expand.