Various – Artifacts.

The Default label is a new one from Wrocklow, Poland with their first physical release the “Artifacts”. The music is based on found recordings and sonic detritus and released on cassette in an edition of just twenty copies. All artists are new to me although three of them (Amevblement, Sp@m and Omnisadness) are all the work of Andy Nyxta.

“Jvst Fields” by Amevblement – fuses loops that sound like short snippets of synths and repetive piano keys that work well together. The tones generated are both melodic with both sections being manipulated as to offer variance within each other’s sound and also the sound of them combined. For a minimalist track such as this it can be a tightrope to walk on with it being easy to fall into boring territory which, thankfully, this does not happen.

“And Water” by Amevblement – brings in synths loops with an addition of detritus to give it a bit of an edge. The loops feature a hypnotic foreground with a dub techno-like background that cascades as opposed the pulsing focal point. A third center section is a very repetitive pulsing part which balances between the two other sections.

“Sp@m 2000 (2017 edit) by Sp@m – ominous futuristic synth reverberations meet fast paced glitch percussion which scatters around the listeners ears. A noisy soundscape adds in which breaks up the elements, but also adds to glitch percussion with a melodic section of what sounds like rolling glass balls, such is the crystalline sound. While the other two tracks were more controlled in their pace, this particular track is almost a blur in its franticness. Towards the end of the track synth starts to creep in with melodic ambience which adds to the overall feel of the track.

“Omnisadness (The Closure)” by Omnisadness – is a near ambient-ish swell of loops and degraded sound that sounds like an electric swarm has met a post industrial soundscape meets The Caretaker. As the track progresses other sounds which sound as like bombs going off enter the picture. For the majority of the track the elements are fairly constant up till the final minute and a half where the breakdown fully occurs and the loops are slower, longer and are at the point of collapse.

“Blacklightlabs vs Omnisadness” – synth washes move right to left with an ominous menace pulses of sound similar to that of pressurized air pump away. More of an interlude than a fully formed piece as it doesn’t really vary over the rather short duration.

“Dying Bride” by Blacklightlabs – returns to the glitchy tones of the earlier pieces, but this time fashioned on an ambient/drone theme were tight glitch elements flicker from the drones which are melodic and deep. While the other tracks were in a way tightly held, this time is long and warping. The track completely changes for the second half were it is subdued and at times almost barely there.

There are points of interest to listeners here with the use of loops that work well to a certain extent. Despite at times using a minimal sound pallet, there is not the repetitiveness that can overpower some music. If you are interested in new labels and artists, this may be for you.