Retrograde Space Opera

by Distal

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Following a string of releases on Tectonic and a scattering of other imprints, Atlanta based musician Distal breaks away to form his own label Anarchostar and inaugurates it with his second LP entitled Retrograde Space Opera. Bearing his influences in full, Distal evolves his sound to focus on his own brand of intergalactic sound design mixed in with usual trademark club constructions. The opening cut ‘Welcome To The Anarchostar’ transports us into hyperspace with its deadly synth arpeggio with the rapid-fire drum fills of ‘Ridge City’ and futuristic melodies of ‘Ancient Scripture’ in hot persuit. ‘Jaws Of Deltroy’ strikes a deadly balance between hardened Jam City styled drum patterns and space age sonic dread whereas the heavy swing of ‘Troposphere Cocktail Hour’ represents a lighter hearted, incredibly infectious club cut owed mainly to its tinkering xylophone melody.

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1.	Welcome To The Anarchostar 01:55	buy track
2.	Ridge City 02:36	buy track
3.	Ancient Scripture 04:50	buy track
4.	Sewers Of Gattaca 03:27	buy track
5.	Boo Monde 01:00	buy track
6.	Jaws Of Deltroy 03:56	buy track
7.	Banthu 04:11	buy track
8.	Troposphere Cocktail Hour 03:00	buy track
9.	Breaking The Atmosphere 02:10	buy track
10.	Nomodawahs Tomb 04:28	buy track
11.	Look Mom No Hardware 05:11	buy track
12.	Don't Need Her 04:05	buy track
13.	Ignorance Is Now Bliss 01:51	buy track
14.	Holding Pattern 05:30	buy track
15.	Ascending & Solus 04:36	buy track
16.	Approaching The Wormhole 01:51	buy track

about

Michael Rathbun has been honing his craft for nearly five years now. The US producer was an early proponent of dubstep in The States and has appeared on some of the most lauded labels around, including Soul Jazz and Tectonic. Throughout his career he's constantly evolved, absorbing genres as disparate as acid techno and footwork and reinterpreting them without ever sounding derivative. For this reason, he's exactly the kind of person you want running a label, and that's what we get with his second album, Retrograde Space Opera, the first release on Anarchostar.

Retrograde Space Opera moves among musical styles almost erratically while still retaining a broad sound of its own. It opens with the ominous electro of "Welcome To The Anarcho Star." "Look Mum No Hardware" sees a pumping house kick combined with a slinky acid melody. "Ancient Scripture" fits somewhere between the orchestral stabs of grime and the swagger of UK funky, before a mournful synth brings a more emotive quality. "Jaws Of Deltroy" seems inspired by Jersey club, and "Bantha" sounds like something from the Night Slugs playbook. "Troposphere Cocktail Hour," as well as being one of the most bizarre song titles I've seen in a while, is a comfortable highlight, pairing broken percussion with a synthetic marimba hook.

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released October 1, 2014

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Distal Seattle, Washington

American electronic musician and futurist. Anti-State, Pro-Individualism through creative means of destruction

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