Over it’s six year existence, the Avian label proper has become a sometime home to a unique group of electronic musicians. Notable appearances from British producer Sigha, Peder Mannerfelt & Swedish duo SHXCXCHCXSH – not to mention Alessandro Cortini of Nine Inch Nails under his Skarn alias and Guy Brewer himself, have helped distinguish the label as one of the finest outlets for abstract Techno derivatives currently operating.
Brewer is no stranger to working satellite labels, the now defunct Mira showcased the more experimental tenets of the Avian aesthetic before the two imprints merged just last year.
Recorded almost three years ago, DRFT001 recalls the best of Brewer’s early work for labels like Mote-Evolver & Our Circular Sound. Fiercely repetitive & powerfully reduced, the inaugural offering on Drifting Over eschews the booming, meditative qualities of 2014’s two part Arrangements In Monochrome series in favour of dry, snappy drum machine workouts. The music is immediate & unfussy, focusing on groove & economy of elements - with said elements dropping in and out of the mix with little fanfare.
Some of the most cohesive & well excecuted Shifted records have drawn on this punchy, direct production aesthetic, and DRFT001 is a welcome distillation of this facet to the artist’s work. Where more recent recordings find elements moving ominously in & amongst each other, here – the energy exists bar to bar.