ROBOTS & ELECTRONIC BRAINS

Isan, Beautronics (Tugboat) CD

So what does beautronics mean? When Isan interviewed themselves for Robots.. they described "fantasy listening experiences" that included Brian Eno in the snow atop a perilously tall mountain and the Cocteau Twins by the canal in Leicester after a Summer rain. Bear these images in mind when I tell you that "Beautronics" is considerably more relaxed than early tracks like "Remegio" (on their Hummy and Joey release), as if they're writing a Haynes manual for the Ambient Electro Mk 5 by stripping down from the full model to the chassis, carefully noting and recording all the details to ensure that their guide is correct, and will some time in the future start to put all the bits back together again. Often on this album there's little more than hints of mood overlaid with the simplest of beats and some spectral FX---the kind of music HAL might make during a somnolent moment.

Lots of imagery to describe beautiful music in this review. I guess that's as good a definition of beautronics as any. i_s_a_n@hotmail.com


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