blamstrain - sansi empler 12" review from igloomag.com Blamstrain's 12", Sansi Empler, is a sampling of tracks from the full-length Ensi CD, and it is a warm envelope of their "splatterfuck smooth electronic soundscapes." "Batman" eschews modern mythology of the Dark Knight for more ambient fare, as crystal tones pervade an atmosphere that has but a hint of menace to it. Beats lightly patter the track like soft rain against the hard city streets. "Alive in Arms" beeps and squiggles with an undercurrent of particle movement while synths roil and boil in the foreground like a pool of enraged squid. "Linja" is the soundtrack to a cross-polar flight, a machine-guided arc across the cold top of the world. You are wrapped in analog warmth as Tthe rarified air streaks past you with a hiss of ice crystals and the atmosphere lights up with streamers of solar radiation. "Goodbye p10" follows you to the frigid noise, the streamers of the Aurora Borealis still lighting the sky overhead while hot springs bubble and foam through the frigid landscape. A cross between Biosphere and less noise-inflected Gridlock, "Goodbye p10" captures both the miniscule drifts and the sweeping horizon of the arctic landscape. Samplers are for those who are curious but not foolish with their coin and, if the four tracks on Sansi Empler are any indicator, you would do well to spend your dollars on the full-release, though the thirty minutes here isn't a bad way to go either. blamstrain - sansi empler 12" review from basic level This release hails from the unusual U.S. label that has delivered us Machine Drum and Jimmy Edgar (of current warp fame) amongst other in the past. According to the tag, this is severely electronified hip hop!? This release sounds more like techno to my ears. Four tunes in all, but the two stand-outs are (a2) "alive in arms" & (b1) "linja", both of which are very reminiscent of the sounds on one of my fave albums of last year - Ai's Newtown compilation. If Merck continue to deliver the goods, then this is heading to be an assured label and one to watch, pop-pickers!! blamstrain - sansi empler 12" review from bpm magazine There's something magically delicious about a record that sounds right at 45 and 33. This lush electro number easily passes the test, although the fact that it has a sister-release on CD might spoil the surprise if you happen to hear it first. In any case, this delicate, orchestrated and invigoratingly brave sampler showcases the work of relative unknown Juho Hietala, whose Finnish roots show through with traces of influence from labelmates Brothomstates and Lackluster. -M50

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