Release Date: January 11th, 2012
Every year Aaron Funk celebrates his birthday. Every year new material emerges from Venetian Snare’s woodshop. Both of these astronomical phenomena has proved true since 1997, only this year, in a rare sighting, the two collided to form Affectionate, an EP of epic strangeness. He’s seen a lot of change in the weathervane but Funk has outlasted the storm. No matter how passé IDM may seem in 2012, some shade of the Snares’ or another has been “mode,” right now it’s probably the DnB or Glitchcore– anyone’s best guess– but that’s the captivating talent he possesses that keeps listeners coming back (and reviewers reviewing).
Not that this artist is ever static but on Affectionate there’s a strong departure from Classical, Reggae, and Noise. Affectionate is a furious, brooding and exacting collection of break. Each of the four songs warp and meld into one another, creating a kind of parallel glitch universe to our own. The outrageously odd time signatures keeps dancers moving, never comfortable. There aren’t as many sounds as there are notes and it seems like that should be a welcome change from the Manitoban.
The time and effort invested in this release shine brilliantly. The balance in production and meticulous attention to score are perhaps greater than they’ve ever been in a Snares release and that’s saying a lot. it’s a heavier sound than customary, especially in the basslines (see: “Seqsy”) but always studied and always deliberate. “Chordate” is a bitcrushed surge that could serve as an alternate soundtrack to Ninja Gaiden. “Lesbians1” has a creepily familiar melody, that let’s you chase it all through it’s mad dance before fading into shards. In the end, Funk works against himself by trying to make his lovable chaos sensible.
Career-long fans may be pleased by the release but it fails bite quite as hard as the Filth era and after the relative rave mediocrity of My So Called Life, one can only wonder what’s next– Venetian Snares thrives on anticipation, is it still there?
Venetian Snares – Affectionate tracklist:
- “Seqsy”
- “Lesbians2”
- “Chordate”
- “Lesbians1”
