CD, Frozen Empire Media, 2004
www.velapenescreen.com
Coming from Frozen Empire Media, home of quite a few big names in the power electronics scene, “Medical Breaths” is US-based Velapene Screen’s first full length release, following a six-track EP on co.ad records, and it looks quite set to take a place in every Glitch/IDM fan’s music collection.
Don’t let the melodic (and very nicely executed) intro fool you, since this album is far from mellow, with beats that range from the fast to the frantic pulsing constantly, changing and shifting within the tracks erratically, creating abstract, yet enchanting rhythms upon which the multitude of carefully fractured samples lies, toppled with a decent amount of synth-based sounds colliding with each other in an end result that is often chaotic, occasionally weird, but almost always beautiful in its minimalist complexity and originality, both of which qualities seem to exist in fair abundance in this release.
The production and programming on most tracks appears solid and well done, if we skip the minor fact that a track or two stretch longer than they probably should. The mastering is rather stellar as is usual for Metarc, making the experience of listening to every single bit of garbled electronic mayhem absolutely enjoyable even in lesser systems (like, say, a Discman), let alone a normal sound system.
Much awaited after Velapene Screen’s EP, their appearances on several compilations and remixes, as well as the apparently long series of excellent live performances and the act’s signing with Frozen Empire, A very good album that should keep those of you waiting happy, and come as a pleasant surprise to the people unfamiliar with their sound, giving it much deserved attention, specially in Europe.
[7/10]
— George Mouratidis