Third and final entry into Bjarki’s tryptch of 90s infected acid-flecked LPs for Nina Kraviz TRIP Records – Bjarki wears his influences on his sleeve, early R&S, Belgian hardcore, classic AI Warp & the rougher second wave of Detroit techno. This is a sound that may not be the most popular right now, but when deployed in its correct environment aka a huge f*ck off rig, it belts it out like no one cares.
Out of the three albums out this year, Ae draws most from the Warp angle, with the influence of Aphex & Autechre ringing strong throughout the triple pack. Now while this is no doubt techno, the beats are obtusely obscure and the time signatures reflect categories outside of the nightscape they would be deemed best suited . On gabba style kicks like I Don’t Think So the cross between stripped-back industrial of Dettmann and co gets mixed up with a raw grinding analogue hardcore sheen of AFX’s .000890569.
While there are rough and ready bangers from 90s London to 2010s Berlin, the title says it all on this one with the experimental edge taken from letting yourself be absorbed into the endlessly evolving electronic puzzles of Autechre. Much like mid-period Ae, Ae in Bjarki’s hands evolves into a new form of hardcore techno that evolves the format into something devastatingly new, but whose secret to success is buried in its schooling of the sounds that came 20 years plus before it.
