- The names of Adam Feingold's tracks and EPs often refer to altered states, outer space and spiritual pursuits. His music usually brings a sense of wonder, even devotion, to these ideas. On the excellent Paraworld, released under his Ex-Terrestrial alias for 1080p, stargazing melodies, new age chimes and campfire noise coated IDM and jungle drums. In decorating lo-fi sounds with several styles of dance music, Paraworld sounded comfortable and confident.
After a rowdy debut on Apron in 2014, Feingold now returns to Steven Julien's label with another volley of decibel-busting drums and angular funk. But Ascension is some way short of Feingold's usual standards. The title track tries too hard to sound effortless. Pots and pans, unquantised claps and overdriven kicks grind against each other, and that skewed push-and-pull feels less natural than it ought to. Feingold's stringy funk keeps the music from falling apart, but the self-styled cracks and tears could do with some finesse. "Inner Zone" has an opposite and equally unappealing problem. Its frictionless deep house glide is a wishy-washy haze, and the drums knock uneasily against the slippery surfaces. "Inner Zone" and "Ascension" may represent polarised moods, but both suffer from an overly casual approach.
TracklistA Ascension
B Inner Zones