Since their formation back in 1997 French dark electronic duo Ex_Tension have built up an impressive backcatalogue of appearances on compilations from the likes of Audiotrauma and M-Tronic, as well as live support slots for The Legendary Pink Dots, Haujobb and Dive. This latest offering on Tympanik Audio sees their 2005 ‘Desert’ EP being re-released, alongside two previously unreleased new tracks and a cluster of newly commissioned remixes of the title track by Tympanik labelmates Access To Arasaka, Totakeke, Geomatic and Zentriert Ins Antlitz. The title ‘Desert’ represents something of a mini-epic in itself, spending its 32 minute running length building from an opening section comprised of ominous urban-metropolis ambience reminiscent of Skinny Puppy and Haujobb, and coloured by dark, brooding chords, flickering noise bursts and relentlessly ebbing bass pulses, into a thunder of metallic drum beats before suddenly accelerating out into the sort of heavily arpeggiated EBM-techno and eerie widescreen synth atmospheres you’d associate with the likes of Front Line Assembly.
As for the new tracks, ‘Aura’ follows a similar aesthetic trajectory as throbbing dark techno rhythms and flickering bass sequences rise up against stinging snare flashes and droning, distorted electronics, before ‘Tension 6′ drops the tempo back down for a sweeping, atmospheric wander through epic-sounding synth arrangements, ghostly treated vocal samples and stripped-back gliding rhythms that’s easily one of the more impressive and subtle moments on offer here. While there’s a slight feeling of datedness to some of the aforementioned material, the reworking of the title track, which sees each of the respective remixers contributing a separate section of the track’s continuous 30 minute running length certainly manages to inject plenty of welcome additional edge to proceedings. A strong release that just stops slightly short of being really special.
Chris Downton
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