It’s been quite some time since we last heard from Lee ‘Nacht Plank / Metamatics’ Norris’ Neo Ouija label – one of the key reasons being Norris’s recent handover of the label-running activities to new head Martin Hirsch, in order to focus upon other commitments. Four years on from the release of 2005’s preceding ‘Meadow: Diaspora 4’ collection, this latest compilation in the ongoing series ‘Diaspora: Cottage Industries 5’ sees the label making up for lost time, with 30 tracks gathered together over two distinctly divergent discs. In this case, the first disc proves to be the one that leans markedly more towards more danceable house and techno influences, and while the tracklistings of both mainly veer towards lesser known producers, more recognisable names manage to crop up at numerous points here. It’s Greek producer Pridon, with the gorgeously flickering Detroit-strewn tech landscapes of ‘Vidiomo’ and veteran Daniel Moufang in his Move D guise with the lush, Pole-esque ‘Anne Will’ that manage to steal the show with the more extrovert outings, while the lesser known Plexus Instruments and Deer (actually a pseudonym of Hirsch himself) manage to more than hold their weight in terms of highlights.
Over on the second disc meanwhile, proceedings get distinctly more leftfield and ambient, with Sense5’s ‘Rain’ opening things with a contemplative unfurling of delicate rhythmic textures and pulsing IDM electronics, before the wide-eyed optimism of Maps & Diagrams’ ‘A Fractious Apparition’ takes things off in a more soundtrack-oriented direction that’s nicely closed off by Norris himself as Nacht Plank alongside classical musician Shintaro Aoki, with the gorgeously rolling piano textures of ‘A Conversation At Sea.’ There’s certainly a lot to take in here, but ‘Diaspora: Cottage Industries 5’ sees the Neo Ouija label continuing to release some of the most interesting minimal techno and IDM out there – with fans of the likes of the M_nus and Merck labels likely to be equally delighted by what’s on offer here.
