Kangding Ray – Pruitt Igoe

Having first made myself acquainted with Kangding Ray's preceding LPs Stabil (2006) and Automne Fold (2008) earlier this month, I looked at the tracklist of Pruitt Igoe and thought, "Damn, just four variations of the same track. The Alva Noto remix has to be something boring, too, with his usual sterile blip-bloops near-devoid of musicality."

Well, know what? I've never had a presumption so magnificently wrong about a Raster-Noton release before. Never. On both counts, no less!

The first track, Rise, turned out excellent. Definitely the most energetic (one could even say, dancey) track from KR yet, it almost feels like some kind of tribal music conceived and incubated in the most urbanistic environment, which I believe accomplishes its job of conveying the atmosphere of an urban housing project Pruitt-Igoe was. I find myself unable to add much about the third track (Fall), since it largely is a somewhat darker variation upon the same motif and samples that doesn't stray too much off the path paved by the first track.

But what really makes this release shine is, surprisingly to me, the second track, Alva Noto Remodel. It takes the catchy beat of Rise and somehow brings it to a whole new level of drive, although straightening and simplifying it to an extent in the process. If one could imagine a suitable Alva Noto track to actually dance to (tall order, I know!), this would be quite the perfect candidate. But don't let this weird simile confuse you: this is definitely Noto's style complete with the trademark barebone approach. Except this time the bare bones resulted in something really phat, yo; really fun to listen and do things to. Actually makes me wish more of his tracks were so fun.

The last track, Ben Frost Demolition, is quite self-explanatory: take Pruitt Igoe, deconstruct it methodically, and top with a spoonful of Frost's utmost insanity seen in his genuinely unnerving release from 2009, By the Throat. As expected, the track turned out pretty morbid without explicitly pointing at this aspect of its nature. I really begin to wonder if the man is alright: Frost's music, although excellent, seems to suggest otherwise. (Take a look at his photo on Wikipedia; if the sound does not convince you, that should do.)

All in all, this release may not be as full as the ones from 2006 and 2008, and it doesn't even sound too similar to begin with, but what it lacks in quantity it makes up for in quality. Definitely recommended, although keep in mind that if you don't like at least one of the four tracks, there is a high probability you won't like any of them.