debut album with icelandic artists. ltd to 100

strong techno vibes on lahar iceland

as icelandic techno receives recognition like never before, so nonnimal steps up to ae recordings with a fine ep that sports many of the hallmarks of this particular corner of scandinavian culture. there s a spacious, dubby minimalism that pervades throughout freyja, but what really sets the record apart is the considered deployment of found sounds, heavily processed and sticking out in the mix to inject some unpredictable energy into these largely calm oceans of rhythmic hypnosis. even without such decoration the music is exemplary, as on the haunting lilt of the title track with its subtly shifting pads tuned to the emotional maximum.

thule s dark doppelganger ae recordings was revived last year with the excellent freyja ep by nonnimal, and now the saga continues with this devastatingly on-point release from cold. much like the vibe on thule, the music on thule continues to channel the mood of the icy tundra into refined, modern club tracks, but there s definitely a more sinister intent at work in these tracks from cold. -aerials- is a nightmarish chugger loaded with eerie sonics, while -phased out- lays down some fine dubby processing over a bed of chilly chord pulses. -exiles- is a standout track thanks to its crafty groove, coming on a little more housey than its counterparts but still heavier than the average thule jam.