I used to tell people that my fave on here was the Bstates remix... while that is a phenomenal (and original) track, I don't think that it's the centrepiece of Negativ. I have ALWAYS loved this album in it's entirety. In the past year or so I've been able to contemplate my position on this essential album, and welll... here's what I think now :)

Proem has given us something very amazing here, for his second effort this is extremely impressive. The melodies are mature and just amazingly gorgeous. The beats are extremely well constructed and intricate. This is an album that I have come back to year after year after year.

I originally had favourites, such as the Bstates remix, Cold Water, and Access Mike. As I went on listening, I singled out Below Me Reds, Take Your Pants Off, and Protobella. I'm now at the point where out of the entire album I can't pick faves.

The album is solid, every track is good, it has its emotional ups (Cold Water(Flat))its downs (Protobella, Running With Scissors) and its very intense moments (Access Mike)... This is a sublime IDM album with everything fans of melodic and experimental electronica could want. Listen to it now with the fact that M3rck records is going out of business and shutting down. It really mellows you out.

Pick it up before they're all gone.

There is no better music to play in your iPod as Negativ if you happen to be strolling through the great art museums of the world. The schizophrenic, dissonant beats somehow sound completely logical as they flood your brain, with subtle melodies appearing second by second and then suddenly evaporating into your memory. It's too late to grasp what you just heard as you are assaulted again and again by a fresh pallet of sound, haunting you even after you thought you turned the music off.

Especially track #13, remix by Brothomstates, is something I haven't heard in ages. Something that really blew my brains to another dimension. The track feels like much longer than it actually is, and makes me wanna repeat it over and over again. Highly recommended.

after hearing proem's elusive, yet radiant debut release 'burn plate no. 1' on hydrant records, i was very much looking forward to investigating what this outstanding project was going to do for a follow-up. i was happy to hear that the sophomore album 'negativ' was going to be released by the up-and-coming miami-based label merck, home to such acts as syndrone, md, and machine drum. 'negativ' contains the crunchy, abrasive, broken-beat glitchiness of 'burn plate…' but this time around, proem decided to back up this already complex mixture with more maturity and control over the emotional and melodic contents of his sound, marrying cohesive melody presence with complex beat structures. after getting through 'negativ' for the first time, i could immediately detect something special about this album. after countless additional listens to 'negativ', i realized that my intuitions were correct. the songs here are more developed and intricate compared to proem's first offering, giving each song a certain glow of prestige. in addition, each song develops its own personality, using intricate arrangements, dark undertones, and compelling beats to build a strong musical structure. proem's 'negativ' is another contender for my top 10 list this year; a highly imaginative and addictive album that will most certainly appeal to fans of beefcake, phonem, or gimmik. highly recommended.

An excellent mixture of alien soundscapes and creative, usually pleasant melodies. Sometimes cold and apocalyptic, other times reflective and promising. Not many can pull that off.