Skyle EP

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Skyle EP

Alex Cortex [Platzhirsch Schallplat...

29 February, 2008 | 7.08AM

Section: Music Reviews
Written by: Richard Brophy 2

Alex Cortex, aka producer Alexander Neumann, has been releasing cutting-edge electronic music for over a decade.

Neumann’s first EP was on Move D’s seminal Source Records, but this is the first time that one of his releases has really caught my ear.

It’s my own fault: it’s impossible to be au fait with every techno producer’s catalogue, and somehow, to my shame, Alex Cortex never left an impression on me.

Thankfully, that situation has changed thanks to ‘Skyle’.

Released at a time when there is a lot of subconscious change happening in techno, accompanied by a fair amout of soul-searching — or should that be searching for soul? — ‘Skyle’ provides some of the answers.

‘Nox’ is a stripped back affair, but the combination of splintered metallic riffs and a cavernous, resonant bass breathes life and colour into minimalism’s inert carcass.

‘Prism’ also proffers the sound of worlds converging.

Based on fluid, melodic rhythms that could easily have originated in Chile, it flows and ebbs over a cavernous bass drum, while soulful Detroity chords float in and out.

There’s way too much debate about whether one style is better or more innovative — as ‘Skyle’ demonstrates, only by embracing the past, present and future that electronic music can move forward.