Subtext

There are pretty much only three labels from which I will literally lap up anything released from both the label and the associated artists. Miasmah is one, Aural Hypnox another, and finally Subtext. Brilliant in concept since the release of Roly Porter's Aftertime all the way to present day with Paul Jebanasam's absolutely phenomenal and instantly classic Continuum (this release is on a whole nother level, like imo one of the best albums period of the last 3 years or so, but that's definitely not to dismiss Eric Holm's Barotrauma, Blessed Initiative, or Fis's From Patterns to Details as continued quality releases this year). The consistent development of the visceral production common to all the artists on this label continues to astound me, carrying on the promise of predecessors to this sound like peak intensity Tim Hecker and Pan Sonic, Ben Frost's By The Throat, Mika Vainio's more recent work, and even Cyclobe in a certain sense. Insofar as the sound can be unified, it's truly a genre to itself. The general idea is hybridizing professional-grade, cinematic-sound design-worthy noise and bass with emotionally intense modern classical, ambient, and drone, with the wits and technique of artists with serious integrity and devotion to solid, well-rounded releases, and a completely and utter lack of experimental wank-off. Alongside this integrity, each artist has their own highly individual style, and save the shared production techniques there appears to be little to no urge to sound remotely the same, from the label/genre-defining sound of Roly Porter and Paul Jebanasam, to more thoroughly modern classical works like those of Yair Elazar Glotman, the more technoid, post-Pan Sonic noise-beat orchestrations of Emptyset, the processed field recording work of Eric Holm, to even the post-Triangle/Knives/Arca/Haxan Cloak HD trap of Blessed Initiative. I cannot think of a single real misstep this label has made to date (not like it counts, but even its nascent pre-reboot releases of a pair of Vex'd singles was perfectly fine in the pre-brostep days). I always hunger for this sound and cannot wait for their next release, as there is very little out there that even remotely approaches the level of quality this cluster of artists shares.