Genre/Influences: Ambient, IDM, industrial.

Background/Info: I never heard of this Slovakian artist before, but the least I can say is that the band name is one of the weirdest I’ve ever heard for a music artist.

Content: Referring to the name of this band I expected a mystic/esoteric release as ‘Rinpoče’ is a rather familiar word in the Tibetan language for someone who’s precious to you. “Twenty Years From Now” doesn’t sound mystic at all, but is a truly sonic cocktail featuring broken, bombastic rhythms, haunting atmospheres, fuzzy electronic passages and even a guitar part reminding me of Snowy Red. The vocals have been produced with effects on top.

+ + + : Rinpoce Roberto is pure electronic eclecticism so in the end it’s nearly impossible to define this artist’s style. That’s an aspect I rather appreciate for clearly avoiding established standards. The songs are elaborated. I prefer the ones revealing rawer sound treatments while the guitar play running through the final track is a great wink to the 80s.

– – – : I like artists that avoid established music genres, but on the other hand it can be also an extra obstacle to catch the attention. This album is not bad at all, but not groundbreaking.

Conclusion: Rinpoce Roberto is a bit of a sonic enigma and it’s hard to say if it’s intentional or just the search of an artist to find his own sound.

Best songs: “Levels Of Anomie”, “Demotivational”, “Unicorns For Lea”.

Rate: (6½).

Label: www.surf10rec.net / www.facebook.com/surf10rec.net