Vziel Projet Listening List 20: Surrogate Sigma - Sandstone Yogini from Madhya Pradesh

 

Artist: Surrogate Sigma
Genre: Minimal Deep House / Breakbeat Trance
Label: Genetic Trance
CAT#: GT952
Year: 2018

A small two track EP, with both tracks being a little over two minutes each. The first track is a minimal deep house tune, minimalist drums that gradually build into a nice groove, then pretty sounding cut up rhodes, its a nice track. The second track though is the shining star of the EP, a very 90s sounding breakbeat trance tune, a nice catchy lead combined with some cool borderline jungle breakbeats; the composition is incredibly 90s, and the audio quality makes it sound like it was some old demo on a tape somewhere, its very nice.

Listen to it here: https://genetictrance.bandcamp.com/album/sandstone-yogini-from-madhya-pradesh

Vziel Projet Listening List 19: Surrogate Sigma - Like Thee Photo Ov Instagram ~ Detroit Short Dreams

 

Artist: Surrogate Sigma
Genre: Techno
Label: Genetic Trance
CAT#: GT985
Year: 2018

First, I love the cover art on this album, its hard to pull off cool gray covers, but this one looks so nice. As for the music, its a short and melodic techno EP consisting of three tracks (2/3rds of them being under a minute). The first two tracks are quite melodic and its really nice. The last track is more rhythm based and has some nice grooves in it. The EP is lo-fi, sounding like it was recorded off of speakers, and it adds a nice fidelity to the recordings. I do wish this release was longer though, as there's a lot of nice ideas in it.

Listen to it here: https://genetictrance.bandcamp.com/album/like-thee-photo-ov-instagram-detroit-short-dreams

Vziel Projet Listening List 17: Surrogate Sigma - Libido Ways

 

Artist: Surrogate Sigma
Genre: Minimal Techno
Label: Genetic Trance
CAT#: N/A
Year: 2019

A three track album, with the first track being 17 minutes long and the other two tracks being significantly shorter. This is one of my favorite Surrogate Sigma albums, the 17 minute track, Infinity Holds Every Spell, is just so weirdly addictive to me. Its lengthy minimal techno tune that slowly builds over its course, with its main motif being a slightly off bass-y-donk-y sound that gives the song such a nice groove. The rest of the track, like the kicks and hats, go through a variety of patterns throughout the track. Its a very track with only a few elements at a time, but I love this sort of thing. The shorter tracks on the album continue the same concepts of the main track, with the second track having some busy sections, and the last track being extremely sparse and minimal.

Listen to it here: https://genetictrance.bandcamp.com/album/libido-ways

Vziel Projet Listening List 4: Surrogate Sigma - Ukraine 2016

 

Artist: Surrogate Sigma
Genre: Industrial / Tribal Ambient
Label: Genetic Trance
CAT#: GT968
Year: 2018 (according to Bandcamp, title makes me want to say 2016, but you never know with them lol)

Surrogate Sigma is one of my favorite aliases of Vziel's, typically putting out a consistent stream of hard and experimental techno, but Ukraine 2016 completely mixes of the formula with 6 tracks of lo-fi industrial with the occasional tribal ambient. The entire album is incredibly stripped down and minimal, really letting the rhythms speak for themselves, as well as really using the low quality recording techniques as a music instrumental. There's still elements of techno in the music, but its Vatican Shadow's stuff, where techno is sort of the avenue for industrial soundscapes. I really love this kind of stuff, and Vziel really nails it here. I think the cover is quite impactful as well, the passport-esque photos on the Ukrainian flag represented through a domestic item; the Ukraine crisis long predates the current invasion, and this album really sheds a light on that.

Listen to it here: https://genetictrance.bandcamp.com/album/ukraine-2016