AZ-ROTATOR INDEFINABLE SUGAR CUBE ALBUM LOVE THE CHAOS RELEASE: MAY 5, 2008 REVIEW: SEPTEMBER 6, 2008

If glitch had originated in Ibiza... 

...It would probably sound more like the tracks crashing through the headphones of AZ-Rotator. AZ-Rotator is Uge Ortiz, a Spanish electronic musician, and purveyor of what can only be described as happy glitch music.

Sitting somewhere in the midst of artists like Bogdan Raczynski, Autechre and most closely, Venetian Snares, this is an album of ebbing and flowing, pulsating electronic music. Originally a vocalist in a hardcore band, he went on to become half of duo E.B.U.D.P., purveyors of synth/laptop and punk, before ending up in his present incarnation. So how is this follow-up to the 2006 debut “Science of Chance”?

After a nice little intro track, things kick on apace, with the rather excellent barrage of beats that is “Silka”. There are the usual pre-requisites here – snarling snares, stuttered beats and sliding-slightly-out-of-tune melodies – so nothing new so far. There is however a warm feeling to the music, something that is slightly more uncommon to this particular genre of cold, mechanical electronics. “I Echo D-” is one of the best of the set – it is pretty remarkable – having both the craziest of percussion and beats, combined with a strangely mellow rhythm section, reminiscent of old-skool Chicago house; a really nice combination, and a track with soul. “Mistake” is another monster track. It admittedly starts off slowly, but builds and builds to a complex and intricately detailed, yet rewarding piece.

As much as I like this particular type of music, there can be the all-too-common problem of over-indulgence by the artist; and so it is with this particular artist too. “Supranel” is a little too all-over-the-place for me, while “Truly Modified” bounces along nicely (though maybe a tad faster than is comfortable for most!), while not really catching the attention, an example of a couple more tracks on this disc. The closer “Wrong Positive” is an example of what AZ is capable of though, a great piece of introspective glitch to finish off the set with.

Overall, a sterling effort from a promising artist – worthy of a place in a genre fast running out of ideas. A lovely blend of electronics with a bit of playfulness; you can really feel the sun shine through. On the basis that most artists get better over time, and the fact this effort is nearly, yet not quite there, the next album should really be something!

MIKE WHYTE