Arovane – Atol Scrap

Back when this album was released, I thought it was grossly unfair to say that Arovane was a complete rip-off of Autechre and that this album in particular makes culpable of such a copy. To say that Arovane = Autechre is like saying Johannes Brahms = Ludwig van Beethoven or Enimem = Dr. Dre. Yes you can make connections and make lots of similarities between the two, but in the end Arovane is Arovane and Autechre is Autechre.

This album is solid but not groundbreaking. But that's OK since not every album can be groundbreaking or take you to a new height. It is a return to the intelligent ambient idea popularized by Warp Records in their Artificial Intelligence series (where Autechre got their start on Warp) where melody and technology can go together and where the seemingly cold electronics can be like a warm fire or a cuddle on the couch. It is robotic/computer music with a soul and a heart (listen to "R/Elet" and you'll see what I mean). If Autechre is pushing boundaries and establishing new countries, Arovane is making sure a home town is established in the wild frontiers of electronic music.

This record is a frequent in my CD player. "Thaem Nue" particularly stands out...the whole album is one big cohesive trip through a cold digital world, but with the warm light of Zahn's melodies and drones guiding your way. Truly an amazing listen, for fans of Crunch, Boards Of Canada and probably some of Autechre's more melodic work.

Warm electronic melodies mixed with fractured, skittering beats -- it's what you've come to expect from IDM, and Arovane delivers the goods with <i>Atol Scrap</i>. There's no doubt that it's lovely to listen to, but it doesn't quite have that indescribable quality that lifts it above and beyond the IDM field. I can't put my finger on what it is exactly -- but it's just short of what I'd deem a classic.