Formats
VHF114 - CD
783881011425
Details
After a couple years in the underground wilderness, Neil Campbell's unique Astral Social Club returns to VHF with the squelching, restless ambience of Octuplex. The CD is split roughly in half between Harmonia / Voigt-style chuggers and sweeping swirls of instantly recognizable dronage, familiar to fans of Campbell's extensive contributions to Vibracathedral Orchestra, Sunroof! and others. His interest in techno comes out on "Caustic Roe" and "Muscle Adductor," which neatly compile the influence of recent minimal jam innovations with piles of synth and effects noise, lending the beat-driven tracks a rough, unfussy style. Other cuts like "M?gik Churn" and "Pilgrim Sunburst" swell with twittering electric birdsong and synthetic rain, the trademark sound of many Astral titles. Octuplex is full up with collaborator cameos, including the familiar (Richard Youngs, John Clyde-Evans), and the novel (Spider Stacy from The Pogues!).
Tracks
1. Caustic Roe
2. M?gik Churn
3. Aggro Vault
4. Pilgrim Sunburst
5. Sweet Spraint
6. Radial Hermaphrodite
7. Muscle Adductor
8. Hot Toxer
Press
Hoping for reviews in Wire, Plan B (please keep up, its 2009 now), Uncut, and MOJO. more tbc.