Nuclear Beef

Glitchy IDM Deconstruction Audio Beef Today. Acute is (self-)titled while his glitchtar gently weeps.

'Titled' and 'Stillmyguitargentlyweeps' by Acute from his self-titled 2003 album

Boy, there's nothing I like more than excellent tracks I come across on the internets with absolutely no meta information. Oh wait, there is! Musicians who name themselves something that makes them totally impossible to find in google! All I know about Acute is that his name is Andrey Schneider and he lives in Israel. This album (demo?) was apparently released some time in 2003, and sounds remarkably fresh for an IDM album of that vintage. It could use some mastering and is unfortunately somewhat uneven. Some tracks even sound plainly unfinished. I wish I could tell you why, but I have absolutely no idea! Leaving all this mystery aside, here are two gems in the rough.

'Titled' starts out with a whimsical piano and then glitches it into submission. I admit that I'm a sucker for this type of twurking, but Acute displays a finely tuned ear for creating rhythms within the madness. I would not be surprised to discover that he (she?) has some classical training, as 'Titled' displays a certain melodic sensibility. What really sold me on this track is the progression just before the end, where the melody he's been hinting at finally shows itself with a wry smile to the sound of sampled applause. Unfortunately, the track then abruptly ends. Unfinished? I hope so, because I want more!

'Stillmyguitargentlyweeps' sounds a bit like two songs playing at once, both of which are 90 degree IDM permutations of the Beatles classic. A robotic shimmering crunch-and-evoke with shades of early Autechre. Playful but somehow as serious as a heart-attack. Intricately arranged and strangely soulful.

(If anyone has any information on Acute, please feel free to email nuclearbeef a@t gmail d0t com. I'd love to hear what he's been up to recently. Andrey Schneider, please phone home! Shalom shalom.)