alex coulton: gamma ray burst

Manchester native Alex Coulton has nurtured a reputation for creating sub-heavy rollers thanks to 12"s for the likes of Black Acre, Livity Sound and Bloc. With Gamma Ray Burst, the next in his series of releases on London low-end specialists Tempa, Coulton consolidates his sound to deliver some of the most sparse, rhythmic work of his career. With the record's title track, Coulton weaves from hard-hitting kicks, through to dizzying tribal polyrhythms, the whole time maintaining a minimal, space driven atmosphere that remains omnipresent throughout the track's most intense moments. "Ground Zero" revels in its spaciousness, allowing reverb to flood into the negative space between flashes of heavyweight techno percussion and saturated ripples of synth while the pulsating kicks that underpin "Alpha Decay" are punctuated with bleak, discordant bells, rhythmic bass hits and hypnotic filtered percussion. Showing his diverse abilities, "Phase Two" is an exercise in measured restraint, as a cacophony of clicks and hisses come together to disorientate before forming a driving rhythm section leading into the fog-tinged "Ascent" where Coulton maximizes his expansive elements. Coulton closes with the steady flowing, brighter-hued melodic work of "Distant Resonance". Alex Coulton has created a masterful collection of experimental tech-focused electronica that bewilders, intrigues and will draw the listener in with each play.