Switches by Various (AB004)

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The line notes say that "Audiobulb Records embrace uncertainty, flexibility…". This is certainly true as far as electronic music goes – in this genre 'Switches' is about as flexible and uncertain as it gets. In experimental music, though, the spectrum is much broader. This positions Audiobulb Records somewhere between these two realms, with the generic emphasis on the first and the potential source of inspiration in the second.

Almost exclusively representing hitherto unknown artists (to my knowledge, at least), Audiobulb Records is one of those platforms for an aspiring newcomer to make a difference in the electronic music scene. There are some standout contributions on the CD: one of them perhaps Oti, whose work 'Large Open Spaces' comprises more of the field recordings than the minimal melodic electronics mixed into them. On the other end of the spectrum, there's a fare share of meaningful idm on the disk: Diagram of Suburban Chaos and Bllix 'Document.Write', both quite melodic and digitally crisp-sounding, while Prhizzm's 'Half Asleep' represents the more adventurous side of idm with its unorthodox sounds and tempo changes. I liked Effacer's 'Fire At Sea', slightly crackling, out of the context with its gentle ambient minimalism, while Autistici's 'Breath Holding On To A Window', one of the most experimental tracks here, for some reason failed to be as inviting. Perhaps a bit too simplistic and straightforward to be truly exploratory or groundbreaking, Audiobulb nevertheless has done a remarkable job to get where they're going – which one day, I hope, will be somewhere totally out of place. Or, alternatively, specializing in exclusive or high quality idm. But maybe these 2 alternatives don't exclude each other after all.