[Reviewed by Peter Marks]
An odd record which has now only become odder, Lagowski’s 2009 outing ‘Redesine’ gets an upgrade with four new tracks not originally included on the download-only version. It may seem like a strange choice to expand on this one if you’ve had it for a while but these new pieces are nothing to toy with and quite honestly, I don’t know where else they could have gone. After all those years spent honing his special brand of dark techno to a fine point, he’s loosened up over the last couple of releases under his own name. He has also become increasingly low-profile – as if that were possible – during this time. The work reflects this.
‘Redesine’ always came across as a bit of a mongrel when compared to the others, as though each piece was written as a stand-alone exercise with whatever software he happened to be playing around with. Rather than becoming cohesive, this re-released edition only leaves more of an ambiguous taste in the mind. It provokes questions and answers none of the ones you’d had previously, which may be the one defining factor. A definite puzzler; although the textures are very synthetic there is this strange sense that a bizarre strain of organic matter is at the core here. The soul of the machine is reaching out of the wires to attempt communication. The closer in you lean, the further away it gets which leads to playing it again. And again. And again.
His unique brand of high tech composition is in full swing but the matrix of sound is growing more difficult to define. He had a song years back named “Storms” which is what ‘Redesine’ feels like being in the midst of. An electronic maelstrom where the rules of physical space simply do not apply and god help you should your mind become distracted with all the myriad details on here. You’ll never find your way back, no matter how many bread crumbs you’ve put down. Something has been sweeping them up as soon as you turn your back.
So once again I have to ask, where exactly does ‘Redesine’ fit in his discography?
It doesn’t and the more I try to make sense of this the stranger Lagowski’s latest feels. Things are changing in his world, the shift which began on ‘Temporary Distractions’ in 2006 continues to gain momentum. Recombinant technological synthesis with an emphasis on transference of one’s consciousness. He’s programming future scenes wrought out of silicone and circuitry which grow in awareness with each passing year; I don’t doubt his music may be what crosses that final Rubicon: the Gordian knot of artificial intelligence.
Lagowski – Redesine +
Zoharum, ZOHAR 056-2
CD 2013
Santa Sangre 