Pax Americana in Bloomington, MN

While it might've made sense to peg
Andre Bratten
as a nu-disco producer in 2013, when his first album was issued by
Prins Thomas
'
Full Pupp
label, he quickly moved beyond that sound with his successive releases. Following 2015's
Gode
, a much darker full-length which seemed to completely shun any notion of DJ friendliness, rather opting for a more expressive form of doomy downtempo and abstract techno,
Bratten
moved from the city of Oslo to a suburb, and he completely rebuilt his studio, restructuring all of his analog music equipment. A series of limited 12" singles appeared, and some of these tracks resurface on
Pax Americana
. The short album immediately sounds far more club-ready than
, but it's still a far cry from his disco-influenced early material. Instead, the tracks explore a sort of
Drexciya
n electro that sounds like the perfect soundtrack to cruise around the city in a sleek, futuristic auto late at night. However, while opener "HS" sounds cool and carefree, there's a much darker, more chilling undertow to tracks like the creeping, ominous "Commonwealth." "Pax Americana" and "Recreation 26B" both seem to originate from a similar mindset, with lightly skittering yet precise electro beats forging a path through lush, growing synths, as mysterious street sounds and voices are audible deep in the background. Both tracks are soothing as well as touching, and they're easily the most gorgeous work
has ever produced. Among all this, there's also "Ranx," a fun, propulsive track with braindance synth pulsations and explosive, choppy breakbeats.
was clearly a bold, daring step into unknown territory for
, and
is just as impressive, in addition to being much more accessible. ~ Paul Simpson