While prone to investigations with sound bordering on quasi-geek aural science projects, Plaid have made a name for themselves as exponents of extraordinary dancefloor-filling electronica.
The intriguingly faceless duo – Andy Turner and Ed Hanley – have been teasing out throbbing masses of confused but somehow coordinated genius for some time now. And while 'Intelligent Dance Music' may be one of the most pretentious and elitist tags going, it fits Plaid perfectly. They know how to get a room jumping and raving, yet without forsaking an ounce of their experimental tendencies - which, if you’ve ever tried getting down to the likes of Autechre, is definitely a welcome thing.
Lead track here, ‘Coat’, brings to mind the glistening modulation of their enigmatic Warp label-mates Boards of Canada, upgraded for battle with added glitches and cutting edge.
‘Diddymousedid’ keeps the tradition of unwieldy electro song titles alive as a playful journey through some kind of imaginary kids’ video game, while ‘Stills’ and ‘MFAUS’ are equally disorientating but satisfying listens. The former is an otherworldly almost dream sequence soundtrack held together throughout by shaking drums, the latter cheekily warming up for an acidic end that builds into a booming apocalypse of clipped beats. For added audiovisual enjoyment, check out the enhanced CD, complete with neat ‘Eyen’ video.
A word of caution though – don’t listen to this in headphones unless you revel in the idea of something robotic living in your brain trying to pan its way across (and out of) your head. You have been warned.
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9Adam Anonymous's Score