User – Last Possible Solution

Intriguingly-named Serious Porn Collector (aka Lek Black, aka NRS, half of RAM, aka ex-Deviant Species’ Paul) is…. well, intriguingly-named. The music here is less hectic than previous LPS releases, but no less dazzling in its quality. It’s sort of like NRS-doing-Prog, which means it’s a very dark progressive mixed in with rave, oodles of bass, and a general disrespect for all musical humility. Slow opens up with a lazy, reticent groove that’s clearly in no hurry to make anything happen. It chugs along like an old friend with a wet nose, much like Splinter which takes its time to build up a dirty and loveable groove that sucks you in tightly and then tickles you with a feather duster, like a psychedelic Ken Dodd. Residual Circuit Master is tecchy, like Mad Max crossed with Bladerunner. Deep, breathy backwash noises mix with a feeling of tasteful alienation. Nice. U Wat has great progression, kicking off in a kind of spooky-Sensient style, and gradually picking up more funk, fluidity and buzz, and Stiffy is a delightful little cheekmonster, with cute splurges and tickles and a general playful vibe that’s hard to shake. Ashman’d with Israel’s DJ Bendler is very tasty, with a vibe like a Gary Numan video and more of this electronic alienation going on. Very creepy, a track that rewards repeated listening and that has a lot more going on in it that can be heard without a decent spliff and a decent rig. A Sign Of Decay works very well, taking the thunking, subbass-progressive and adding a plethora of distrurbing and fascinating noises around the place. Urgh does exactly what it says on the tin, sneering at you and being generally unfriendly, as it eyes up your girlfriend and puts its cigarette out on your parent’s Persian rug. Electrical Redistribution sees all the ideas coming together very well, its very fluid and the vibes behind the sounds are very spooked out. Finally, Processing Numbers is a cinematic downtempo romp through randomania, it’s again very disconcerting and a little deranged. All in all this is an interesting album, although on listening to it I get the vibe that I really want to listen to RAM or NRS instead, to hear the energy build then boil over, instead of being kept down and broody as on here. But if you’re after something sinister, slinky and progressive to mix in with your new Sensient album, then you need look no further.