Altered Zones

[Photo by Carl Newland]

Depending on your vibe, the following self-description by Nick Edwards, aka Ekoplekz, from his Soundcloud, will read as a very good or a very bad thing:

"All muzik spontaneously conjured into existence in an entirely analogue environment. Recorded to four-track cassette, ignoring all basic rules of good recording practice. Absolutely no post-production...All extraneous noises incl. tape hiss, crackle, distortion and hum are intrinsic to the recordings. Please do not adjust your set. Influences might include raw '70s home recordings by Cabaret Voltaire (attic tapes), Suicide (rehearsal tapes), Young Marble Giants ('Salad Days'), Throbbing Gristle, Robert Rental, Factrix; some German stuff like Cluster, Harmonia, Conrad Schnitzler, Kraftwerk (pre-Autobahn), Monoton, etc; early dub reggae production - Lee Perry, King Tubby, Augustus Pablo, Dennis Bovell etc; BBC Radiophonic Workshop, '70s electronic library muzak and beyond..."

You have to give it to Nick. He definitely knows his stuff, not to mention the direction he wants to go in, if he's drawing the line at "pre-Autobahn." After the release of his Memowrekz on Mordant Music, Live @ Dubloaded is a recording of Ekoplekz's first live performance at the Bristol institution. And true to the description above, the b-side of the record, which you can hear below, is a sprawling display of analogue acrobatics that fling through oscillations of aquatic sound, heavy and dubbed-out beats, industrial soundscapes, and evensections of alien ambience. Combining his encylopedic and diverse influences with the improvisational quality of the music, the performance is never stagnant, and always engaging. -- Daniel Gottlieb, Altered Zones

Ekoplekz: "Live @ Dubloaded - Side B" by alteredzones

Live @ Dubloaded is out now through Further Records