The duo of Austrian “mega synthesists” who manipulate their names into LAWA are Alain Leonard and Alex Wank. Here they are back with the first in a two-part album series which they have classed as an “electronic nightmare”. There is a brief backdrop story which is totally in line with the classic Italian post-apocalyptic movies and the pair have always been inspired by these and the composers of their soundtracks. You can form images in your own head and make your own stories up as you go down the deserted highways and byways of this futuristic ruined city looking out for danger every step of the way. This could be in the form of rogue mutated gangs and creatures or even killer sec droids left over from before the sky went dark and nuclear missiles rained down. You get the picture…
The 14 tracks here are not quite so indebted to the soundtracks of these 80’s greats as far as I am concerned. Sure, there are segments that allude to them but I found this album more of an experimental dabble into the various forms of electronica this time around. Tracks are short and concise with plenty of identity about them and never overstay welcome until the next passage starts throwing random shapes at us. The shapes are important too as they are sharp and jagged rather than smooth and rounded. There is an indelible “glitchy” sound to this, immediately apparent straight away on opener ‘In Case Off’ with wide angles and points stabbing and cutting away over the musical canvas. As far as this track is concerned there are some excellent keyboard melody parts that are distinctly Numanoid too. Too me however it owes more to the experimentation of Black Dog than it does Walter Rizzati or Fabio Frizzi for example. Industrial backdrops and warped pulsating sounds keep you on toes over tracks like ‘Devils’ a long lost and partially projected Lamberto Bava project perhaps, its certainly nightmarish. ‘Grave’ has wind gloomily blowing over a Fulci-esque bone-yard with some massive percussion booming as hands search for release from their rotten entombment.
Everything sounds fantastic and the ballast from the noises blowing out the speakers gives you a real powerful surround-sound like experience. Things judder, shake, quake and pulsate and tracks like ‘Griff’ are akin to a mutant EBM experience as those drugs you shouldn’t have taken start the process of full body meltdown. Enthusiasts of techno and drum and bass are going to be equally at home with the strange flow of ‘Winters’ and yes, the original release of this is going to be a vinyl one so DJ’s can further stew minds in the right sort of venues. Thick twanging bass groove and rolling drums meet on ‘Inhumation’ along with some jazzy film noir sounding vibes, whilst ‘Dark Walker’ struts its stuff over a neon hued futuristic landscape. The oddly entitled ‘Squellettes’ could well be a favourite here. Trance and synthwave meet with a strange hallucinatory dreamscape sound warbling in the background sounding like it has escaped from a desert island voodoo, zombie flick courtesy of Joe D’amto or Bruno Mattei. Laura Gemser will definitely be shaking her tush to this one.
The constantly changing soundscapes are never repetitive, which is the problem I find with many movie scores and the listener is really kept on toes here never knowing what is coming next. I’ve really enjoyed this and although have yet to mix and match it up with some of the aforementioned films as a visual accompaniment it will certainly work brilliantly in that context. Track titles get weirder towards conclusion and I have to wonder what a ‘Sakkad’ is as it throws out weird insectoid shapes and why ‘Yaogoai’ leaves me stranded in the far Eastern Orient, escaping “monsters” and quite out of breath.
Released in various shades of limited wax Manipulation will be followed by companion piece Instrumentalisation early 2023 with a double CD of both on the cards too. You can find them via the following links
(8/10 Pete Woods)
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