Andrea Taeggi

Italian artist Andrea Taeggi's Mama Matrix Most Mysterious is a rich exploration of tense, rhythmic minimalism. Unlike his work with Koenraad Ecker as Lumisokea and his material under the Gondwana moniker, the album showcases Taeggi's interest in finding strength in simplicity. Taeggi was able to limit himself by working on old modular synthesizer systems -- the Buchla and the Serge, to be exact. "I needed to adapt to them," he admits. "I don't actually master them, which isn't necessarily a disadvantage." This playfulness buoys Mama Matrix Most Mysterious throughout, distancing it from the litany of self-involved modular synth LPs filling the shelves right now. The Serge and Buchla systems allowed the Italian producer to realize his rhythmic and timbric visions; Taeggi filters decades of beat-driven electronic music through these machines to come up with a record of chattering, bass-heavy experiments that sound like little else. You'd struggle to dance to it, but Taeggi's sound is so physical that you can almost feel the electricity running through the circuits. And isn't that exactly what electronic music should be about? Mastered and cut by Matt Colton. RIYL Pan Sonic, SND, Raster-Noton. Edition of 500.

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