At the turn of the millenium, St. Petersburg-based electronic producer Alexander Dmitriev was apparently completely caught up in the more ferocious waters of darkstep drum and bass, before Photek and Paradox’s more experimental leanings coaxed him away from a playlist dominated by the likes of Bad Company and Ed Rush & Optical. On the heels of numerous netlabel appearances over the last couple of years, this debut album from Dmitriev under the Bop moniker on Hospital Record’s Med School sublabel illustrates just how far he’s shifted from his junglist roots, with its thirteen tracks leaning far more towards minimalist, icy and downbeat IDM atmospheres. While graceful tracks such as the languid ‘Enjoy The Moment’s and ‘Ataraxia’ see Dmitriev adeptly balancing more lulling, slo-motion background synth ambience with the sorts of sharp-focus clicks and cuts rhythms favoured by the likes of Lackluster and Vladislav Delay, it’s with the ensuing offerings where things start to get really interesting. ‘Forms, Ideas and Chips’ carries definite ghostly traces of Dmitriev’s former dnb heritage with snapping, devolved Amen breaks being distilled down to just a raw pulse amidst sparkling, wide-eyed synth ambience in what’s easily one of the biggest highlights here. Elsewhere ‘Chaosmos’ rolls like a dubstep track that’s somehow had all of the bass weight taken out of it, with treacherously vast spaces lurking just where you’d expect sub-bass pressure to sit in the mix. Indeed, it’s these minimalist variations on the aforementioned two styles that frequently offer up Clear Your Mind‘s more engaging moments, whilst also perhaps hinting at where Bop’s headed next.
Chris Downton
