Pitchfork

In the techno world, somewhere between the rock-n-roll posturing of the self- described electronica jet set and the ridiculously categorized genres in club music, there is music that defies the party- tested rhythms and structures in favour of exploring the sonic possibilities that modern technology allows. The people behind Pentamerous Metamorphisis belong in the latter category, and those tired of hearing the same obvious patterns in jungle, ambient, house and breakbeat would be wise to give this a chance.

The record is officially described as "retranslated from Blood Music by Chapterhouse," who, back in the day (can the early nineties be that long ago) gained some renown for their ambient guitar work. Not being familiar with the original work, and not being quite sure what "retranslated" really means in this context, it's hard to provide your standard "this is a remix" assesment of the recording. Divided into five "phases" ("Alpha," "Beta," "Gamma," "Delta" and "Epsilon"), the album stands on its own in a way that most remix/ rework projects do not.

The record's opener "Alpha Phase" sets the tone of the album, taking a digitized drone and building towards some lovely sampled vibes and mechanically funky beats. It's an approach that, despite its inherent spaciness, grabs your attention and draws you into the murky, oceanic world it conjures. The rest of the tracks are mostly ambient affairs, but are assembled with attention to both detail and restraint, using a variety of sounds, instruments and effects with ear- pleasing results.

It's the type of thing that's going to have to struggle to find a wide audience, which is too bad. It's this kind of music that would do wonders for all those ravers strung out on crystal in the chill- out rooms. Children of the '90s take note-- you don't have to feel trapped in the same song and dance.