V/A one five zero CATMD150

One Five Zero is the new double CD compilation from n5MD that was commissioned to celebrate its 50th release. Those familiar with n5MD’s output both recent and past will take comfort in the exclusive all new material, remixes and covers from the current roster of n5MD artists as well as treats from its emotional experimental mafia alumni. Another Electronic Musician, Arc Lab, Bitcrush, Damiak, Funckarma (and as Quench) Last Days, Lights Out Asia, Loess, Near the Parenthesis, Proem, Run_Return, SubtractiveLAD and Tobias Lilja all take part in this excellent snapshot of n5MD as a label and stylistic presence. Those unfamiliar with n5MD’s output will find One Five Zero to be a perfect jumping off point to get acquainted with n5MD’s brand of emotional experiments in music.

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Anyone new to n5MD could do a whole lot worse than to start with this superb label overview. Celebrating the label's fiftieth release, One Five Zero compiles new material, cover versions, and remixes from the full complement of label artists—Another Electronic Musician, Arc Lab, Bitcrush, Damiak, Funckarma, Last Days, Lights Out Asia, Loess, Near the Parenthesis, Proem, Quench (Funckarma in disguise), Run_Return, SubtractiveLAD, and Tobias Lilja all contribute—and, in doing so, provides an encompassing portrait of the imprint's wide-screen sound. One Five Zero teems with expansive vistas, celestial soundscaping, IDM-breakbeat workouts, and even an occasional stab at post-rock.

There's nary a weak cut to be found on this generally solid double-disc set, though naturally some pieces prove more memorable than others. Near The Parenthesis (real name Tim Arndt) in particular makes a strong impression with his contributions, including the opening “Into the Green,” a stirring soundscape that embeds elegant piano patterns in a field of glistening slivers and clickety beats; he elsewhere turns Another Electronic Musician's “Green & Olive” into a becalmed, piano-based paradise and gives Proem's “3 Days” a celestial makeover. Last Days' beautiful “Points Bridge” is one of the loveliest pieces from his own latest offering, These Places Are Now Ruins, and SubtractiveLAD's placid remix of Arc Lab's “The Several Song” proves dreamy too. Recalling the glory days of Tri Repetae-era Autechre, Vesna's “Chaika” merges gleaming synth melodies with rollicking funk beats, while Loess's remix of Quench's “Bud” offers a sampling of glacial, Rhythm and Sound-styled dub. There's also a wide-screen and surprisingly restrained Funckarma makeover of Run_Return's “Metro North” to go along with the Funckens' “Skaind,” a protoypically slippery fusion of squelchy funk and rumbling hip-hop. Tobias Lilja's resigned croon sets his material apart, whether it's the slinky synth-funk of “My Teacher Died” or the haunted digi-dub of “Five Days,” Bitcrush impresses with the symphonic post-rock of “What Would Hope Be Without Disappointment,” and cuts by Lights Out Asia, SubtractiveLAD, and Keef Baker hold up credibly too. Though the term cinematic is casually used in an electronic music context, n5MD's sound fully earns the label. exclaim!

In celebration of its 50th release of “emotional experiments in music,” n5MD has capped its seven years of production with a double compilation CD of exclusive new material, remixes and covers from its IDM alumni. AEM, Arc Lab, BitCrush, Quench, Funckarma and Loess are a few notables, and the combined sound unleashes a definitive collection of the modern and moody. The forlorn piano keys of Near the Parenthesis’ “Into the Green” opens the sonic foray. Soon after, Keef Baker’s echo-y drum rolls in “Never” surge forth and batter down any expectation of pure mellowness, as does the crunch and static of Subtractive LAD’s “Back To You” and the drawn out glitch-step of Funkcama’s “Skaind.” The rest of the tracks, characterised by mostly pensive rhythms, expansive synths and jarring IDM, make for a distorted indie rock/electronica collection with intermittent ambient refuge found in such numbers as AEM’s rustling soundscape “Hilbert” and Loess’s Rhythm & Sound-like dub remix of Quenches’ “Bud.”

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