CD, Backwards Records, 2006
www.woundedinfidel.com/xisixweb
Xisix produces schizophrenic music. Popular culture, often ignorant of what this term means, may attribute it traits of dissociative identity disorder. However, in reference to “De Nada” it should be clear that this is shattered music akin to the shattered mind medically described by schizophrenia. Typified by chaotic and unevenly structured beats, the album spans a wide range of influences and sounds. “De Nada” revels in experimental noisiness.
From the aggressive bass stabs in “Hoursemouth and Sunshine” to the amen breaks that characterize “Doublin Soul II,” Xisix mixes styles liberally, switching rapidly between snippets of techno, breaks and experimental. In this apparent eagerness to achieve unrestrained digital anarchy, subtler elements of layering and composition sometimes seem overlooked. Regardless, Xisix manages to throw some ear-catching curve balls once in a while on the sixteen-track album. “Somewhere Under the Radar” includes orchestral elements backing a classic acid line that pulses and twists beneath the snares. “Sleng Teng” provides some nicely thumping beats that gradually increase their speed as the track progresses, and “Gypsy Tea” injects a welcome bit of funk that is sorely missed elsewhere. “Ultimate Truth” really stands out on the album, with its industrial-esque pressure and oscillating beats.
“De Nada” delivers a version of no-nonsense drill’n’bass that fails to engage listeners, leaving them craving a bit more texture. It is essentially a menagerie of electronic scraps excavated from the local digital dump – a mess loosely glued together by Xisix to produce what in the end amounts to electronic drivel and anti-rhythmic posturing.
[4/10]
— Dutton Hauhart