Bleep

The man who has carved his name into probably 99% of your record collection (well the noisier techno rooted end) Rashad Becker returns to PAN with the second volume of otherworldly Themes & Dances.

From the opening seconds of Themes V it is clear that this isn't music in the traditional sense that the title may allude to, but that it inhabits a more alien landscape that we have previously encountered within the first volume, or in fact, any other record we care to mention.

For those expecting him to carve out an album of fine-tuned, dubby "Berlin techno" will be left at the door. Traditional Music of Notional Species Vol. II contains some deliciously elasticated rhythms this side of an EVOL record. It's a truly fascinating listen and another incredible example of one of the very best in the game at bringing out the sharpest elements in other people's work. Showing off his own production skills by pulling influence from, yet sounding vastly unlike anything he has ever cut to wax.

For our two cents, Notional Species Vol. II sound like the music Chris Morris plays on the Cake episode of Brass Eye, played through a stereo made of golden syrup.