use

Credit to Jase Rex for one of the better pseudonyms in 21st century music out there — Another Electronic Musician, shortened to AEM, it could almost be an Autechre song title as well. But self-deprecation is best balanced off with something to sink one’s teeth into, and the music on Use, while not revelatory per se, shows that the impact of labels like Kompakt and Ghostly is starting to spread out even further — Microhouse isn’t dead, merely reinterpreted. Starting with the (but of course) minimal lushness of “H+,” which imagines a world where a Luomo intro becomes the basis for a song in and of itself, Use takes a steady-as-she-goes pace throughout its hour-long length, while also showing its other core inspiration — the continuing impact of dub — at many points. Some songs, like “Enclosure” and “After Long,” take a slightly more traditional approach, but there are moments of variety as well. The almost-not-there “Collapse” lives up to its name, creating a melody that would be perfectly suited to an old King Tubby piece but then grafting a crisp-and-clean beat on top; similarly “These Given” works the same basic model, but with both a more upfront melody and a glitchier rhythm. It’s not a new approach — any Pole fans in particular will recognize what’s going on — but again it’s handled nicely throughout. The best moments are when Rex steps up his arrangements — not necessarily making them any more complicated or louder, but the shuddering echoes on “Field Felt” set against the generally quicker pace of the song helps it stand out all the more as Use makes its fairly relaxed way along. In sum, Use won’t surprise, but it does enjoyably entertain, and that can often be enough — and the Close Encounters reference in “Careless” is at least more subtle than some. – Ned Raggett