There’s really nothing special about this record, except for the fact that it’s stunningly good. In itself, that’s quite daring these days.
If you’re making electronic music, it seems you need a manifesto of sorts. The whole scene is fractured into more subgenres than anyone could track, each with its own set of rules and practices.
Take the early glitch-hop work of Prefuse 73, the micromanaged chaos of Autechre, or the gliding layers of guitar loops in Fennesz. An artist is known for their techniques as much as they are their sound. The whole thing is an unremitting, steely-eyed march forward, sometimes at the expense of making music that’s simply enjoyable on a basic level.
You can’t get away with just making good music; you’ve got to be doing something revolutionary. And sometimes that gets just a bit tiring.