Critiques CD: Actress | Splazsh

Dubstep? House? Ambient techno? Abstract 2-step? Actress makes music that is all, and none, of the above. He sculpts soundscapes full of verdant leftfields, ecstatic peaks, haunted valleys and infinite skies. It’s as timeless as it is timely, evoking Cabaret Voltaire and Eno, then evolving into restrained house before breaking down and reconstructing the dancefloor. A sophisticated album, Splazsh plays beautifully with conventions. At times it’s as if the bass is bleeding through the walls, pulling you into the compressed depths where the mother of all beats is lost and found. Deliciously cool, abstract and elegant.