Bleep

After teasing with the Kasm spin off 10” release, Legendary IDM imprint Skam presents the second LP from The Fear Ratio – the joint project of two of the UK’s most respected artists James Ruskin and Mark Broom. Refuge Of A Twisted Soul expands upon the styles prevalent on the 2011 debut LP Light Box, continuing to explore and fuse the styles that sit between techno, electronica, IDM and more interestingly here, hip hop. The piece opens with a distorted, skrewed vocal on ‘Blood Soldiers’ before settling into a gloomy stepping beat, which is picked up and followed on ‘Sect’, yet here the duo infused a scattering of jolting synth stabs. Next is the beat dexterity of ‘Hopper’, rolling with a slick industrial chug and bright chimed flashes, whereas ’07 Cycles’ builds on the austere atmosphere with dark drone undercoating and ethnic samples up top. The sobering ‘Ferm’ is the pair’s most obvious nod to the early 90’s electronica of Aphex, Boards Of Canada et al, with frittering, twitchy percussive complemented by heart-rending, ambient chords. Although, Refuge’s strength lies in its daring, yet effective marriage of styles, which shine brightest on the stepping dystopia of ‘Era’, pulsating throb and rollicking drum licks of ‘T15’ and the chunky squelch of closing piece ‘ONEFIVEOOOOH’.