In recent years, Boston has become an epicenter for some of the best experimental music emerging out of the USA. A native of Brazil, Ricardo Donoso has floated under the radar until recently, but has become an integral piece of the Boston puzzle. Not only is he half of the exquisite Perispirit and the brains behind the Semata label, but he's also a member of avant-metal outfit, Ehnare. Donoso's previous two solo efforts were both cassettes (on Digitalis and Razors & Medicine, respectively) but Progress Chance presents an impressive leap forward into something quite unexpected. While on a hiatus from working on the score for an upcoming film, Donoso was inspired to try something new. His roots as a jazz drummer in Brazil weren't always obvious on his previous solo efforts, but through his soundtrack work, he realized that he wanted to make a record that explored his interest in techno and more specifically, old Goa and Scandinavian trance. The idea was to strip out the four-to-the-floor beats and any drum programming and create his own version of the "morning dance music" he grew up with in the Brazilian rave scene. As Donoso explores his synthesizers in new ways, the result is something incredibly intricate yet surprisingly accessible. Through the heavy use of gates and arpeggiators, Donoso lays down a series of rhythmic counterpoints. There are certainly traces of Berlin school influence -- "Baiting Disappointment" and "The Deck Of An Ancient Ship" would not feel out of place with Mirage-era Klaus Schulze. Yet Donoso finds his own voice, figuratively and literally. Ghostly whispers and incantations drift in and out over the polyrhythmic layers of synthesizers like radio waves from the grave. "Conditional Formatting (Descent)" feels timeless with its gradual build-up and hopeful repetition while "Chrome Decadence" is over-the-top without being gauche. Even with the newfound hints of positivity prevailing, there is still something vaguely austere creeping in on "Morning Criminal." If you've fallen under the spell of Leyland Kirby's Intrigue & Stuff series, or if you've been drawn in by the many different shapes and colors thrown out by a new generation of producers messing with dance music templates -- this album will rule your world. 500 copies only, cut to vinyl at Dubplates and Mastering, Berlin.