Digital Emission

Progressive labels don’t come much finer than Digital Structures, and progressive albums don’t get much finer than Digital Emission. I don’t really need to go on, but this virtual who’s-who of progressive movers and shakers coupled with top-notch final mastering makes this a pretty tempting purchase. Son Kite gets things moving with Massive, a very sneaky little furry thing and a great example of what progressive psychedelicia all about. It’s slightly downtempo, it hangs together perfectly, and each and every sound you can hear (even those you only think you can here) is produced and polished to a tee. Top new (ish) lot Vibrasphere play a blinder with Newport, a gorgeous tapestry that layers up and up in a way that you get to the blissy midsection, and wonder how the hell you got there. Tarek Mansur’s Showtime is a more restrained, dubby-n-tecchy tune while Etnoscope’s Drumsession comes from out of nowhere and escalates into a dark and rather unsettling monster. Wizzy Noise’s Prototype is good old Wizzy mayhem, and Ticon’s Mr Leatherman (Shabba!) (Okay I added that bit) is cohesive and progressive in the true sense of the word – in that it really moves forward. Old master Atmos is present and correct with the effortless Force Five, and finally Shaman brings things to a close with the dreamlike Interchill. All in all, it’s damn near faultless and a brilliant slice of cutting-edge progressive.