ace024: pulse emitter "oppressive nature" CD $13
I've been a fan of Daryl Groetsch AKA Pulse Emitter's synthetic concoctions for years now. Hailing from the hotbed of Portland, Oregon, his work is almost unparalleled when it comes to modular synthesizer excursions. "Oppressive Nature" is a 40 minute journey into cities that will soon be lost and overrun to the wilderness. The thematic idea behind the album is nature's inevitable reclamation of the concrete jungles we've constructed and amassed.

Where Groetsch truly succeeds on "Oppressive Nature" is creating such an organic landscape with his synth. His work here is highly focused and dialed-in. Through the static and electronic waves something warm and almost triumphant emerges. Heavy saw waves weave a chaotic mass of urban debris, smoothed over by the sine waves of time. Barriers fade away as they consumed by sonic vines that find their way into all these aural cracks. The result is oddly beautiful in an almost post-apocalyptic way.

Nature always wins.

Limited edition of 500 copies in chipboard gatefolds by Stumptown.

tracklist:
five untitled tracks (audio sample)

Praise for Pulse Emitter:
"I could listen to this track over and over again just lying down on my couch for days and it would feel like no time had passed. It's that awesome." - Anti-Gravity Bunny

"You can pick pieces from different releases and recognize the elements, but it's the lack of the more jarring features that separates it from the pack ... sure there's a common thread in the overall feel, but the music on "Progression to Desolation" is a lot more dynamic, there are more parts that are instantly gratifying when you hear them and he doesn't altogether forgo discord. it all makes for an outstanding album." - Smooth Assailing

"The closing track 9 handles the job like it should do, a fully formed piece starting with edgy drones, foggy feedback, bells and the vocal space meditations of previous tracks all work together to build a formidable dronescape that slightly matches the mysterious intensity of Taj Mahal Travellers or, more recently, Double Leopards." - Joris Heemskerk