Bleep

André Bratten has been building to a new full-length for a couple of years now. Throughout 2018 the Norwegian producer issued a series of limited-edition vinyl EPs via Smalltown Supersound. Some of the material on these dated from much earlier - ‘Pax Americana’, the B-side of the first drop and the title-track of this record, was made by Bratten the day after Donald Trump’s presidential election victory back in 2016. Bratten has taken his time over Pax Americana, and his patient craft pays off in a selection of deft electro numbers.

Three of the tracks from the EPs (‘Pax Americana’, ‘Recreation 26B’ and ‘HS’) make it to Pax Americana backed by a trio of new cuts. Working with recording equipment that had previously seen use by ABBA, a Swedish television station and artists on the rockabilly circuit, Bratten carefully constructs his grooves from an 808 and a sequencer. On entries like ‘HS’ and ‘Recreation 26B’ Bratten’s beats skitter around in a manner that recalls the 90’s/early 00’s heyday of Aphex Twin, The Other People Place and Autechre.

While he doesn’t exactly let rip at any point across this record - even the breakbeat odysseys ‘426’ and ‘Ranx’ have a feeling of restraint to them - there are more than enough dancefloor-friendly moments here. The times when Bratten gets more abstract are just as interesting. ‘Commonwealth’ has a dystopian flavour to it that harks back to the early days of minimal synth and coldwave. Meanwhile the wistful ‘Pax Americana’ will have one thinking of The Orb.

If you’re looking for thoughtful and nuanced electro then André Bratten’s Pax Americana is the record for you.