Bitcrush – Dead Corners (Single – Ant-Zen)
Genre/Influences: Krautrock, Cinematographic, Experimental.
Format: Digital, Vinyl.
Background/Info: You for sure remember Gridlock, which was featuring Mike Cadoo. After the split of this duo, Cadoo focused on his solo-project Bitcrush. Most of the works were released on his own label n5MD. It’s already a while ago we heard new stuff from Bitcrush, but Mike Cadoo released two new tracks on Ant-Zen.
Content: Both songs are definitely appealing to Krautrock; instrumental edits with Psychedelic guitar playing and achieved with electronic treatments. There also is a strong Cinematographic feeling emerging from the composition, which comes mainly through on the title song.
+ + + : It’s good to see Bitcrush back on track and releasing new material on Ant-Zen definitely is a way to gain a wider audience. I like the title song for its fusion between all the different influences; kind of Cinematographic-Krautrock experience.
– – – : Two songs isn’t that enough to speak about a major release. The B-side track (cf. “On Infinite”) is just fine, but nothing more.
Conclusion: Bitcrush strikes back appealing a diversified audience, which moves in between Krautrock and Cinematographic music.
Best songs: “Dead Corners”.
Rate: 6½.
Artist: www.bitcrish.net / www.facebook.com/haveyoulostyourway
Label: www.ant-zen.com / www.facebook.com/antzen.official
About Bitcrush
Bitcrush is the solo project of American musician Mike Cadoo, based in Oakland, California. Cadoo was one half of the IDM duo Gridlock with Mike Wells, and also records as Dryft. He runs the label n5MD, which releases electronic music alongside shoegaze, post-rock, IDM and electro-acoustic material.
Where Gridlock and Dryft worked with harder post-industrial material, Bitcrush combines live instrumentation with glitch-based electronic production. The project debuted with “Enarc” in 2004, followed by “Shimmer And Fade” in 2005, “In Distance” in 2006, “Epilogue In Waves” in 2008, “From Arcs To Embers” and “Of Embers” in 2010, and “Collapse” in 2012. Cadoo then self-released the compilation “Shipwrecked” and the set “From Sinking” in 2015, and “Palms” in 2020.
Two months before this single, Side-Line reported that Cadoo had revived his other project in n5MD owner-operator and ex-Gridlock member Mike Cadoo aka Dryft returns with ‘From Stasis’, released on vinyl in October 2021. “Dead Corners” is his first Bitcrush material for Ant-Zen.
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