Exclipsect:
Gravitron
Seam:slant
Motoroller
Echocity
Pushpin
Shatterspeed
Copperplate

Kaebin Yield:
Sonoluminescence
Dioptric Peak
Protocols Of The Elders Of Soulseek
Dialectic Edit
Kin Recognition
Kvetch
Ratchet Mechanism

This limited edition split CD from Hive Records is an interesting format for an album-sized production, consisting as it does of seven tracks each by San Fransisco's Exclipsect and Belgium's Kaebin Yield A.K.A. Duncan Avoid.

There is a gap in the middle between each 'side', and while the latter artist's tracks are presented seperately, Exclipsect's flow seamlessly into each other like a half-hour DJ set, starting in fairly chilled-out territories and gradually turning up the heat whilst sticking to a consistent tempo. Exclipsect's sound is reminiscent of Meat Beat Manifesto or cEvin Key's Subconscious collective - Download, pLATEAU, later Skinny Puppy and so on. Early tracks like 'Seam:Slant' and 'Motoroller' bounce along hard electro grooves, accompanied by throbbing synthesisers, against a constantly-evolving backdrop of futuristic ambience and staccato percussion. There is a definite eighties hip-hop/dub influence at work here, and - dare I say it? - more funk than most industrial bands. 'Pushpin' takes a darker turn, and 'Copperplate [extended]' hardens up the percussion and brings the atonal machine noises to the fore. By 'Shatterspeed', the original laid-back groove has grown into a mashed-up industrial-techno pounder.

Kaebin Yield on the other hand experiment more with tempos and beat patterns within the scope of each track than some outfits do over the course of an entire album. They mash loops and breaks together into a dense, intricate mesh in a similar manner to Venetian Snares or Somatic Responses. On the wonderfully-named 'Protocols of the Elders of Soulseek' a brief snatch of pounding techno insanity emerges from the sinister atmospheres before being abruptly dismantled. 'Dialectic Edit' builds arrhythmic Autechre glitchery into a savage drill'n'bass onslaught accompanied by a Black Lung-style wailing sounds. 'Kvetch' and 'Kin Recognition' come close to sounding like dance music, but only in the manner of grotesque parodies.

Over the last couple of weeks, this CD has become one of the most frequent accompaniments to my gruelling trips out into the London rush-hour. The two halves compliment each other nicely, and the production is flawless throughout. Exclipsect's evolutionary, non-repetitious approach to song construction is particularly novel in such a danceable setting, and both halves provide breaths of fresh air for those tired of the superficiality of modern synthpop 'EBM' and the sterility of powernoise. According to Hive, the tunes presented here are intended as a preview of each artist's next album, and my only hesitation in urging everyone to get their credit cards out is that perhaps it will be more worthwhile to wait and buy both the new ones instead.

ABC