Swarm Intelligence Ultraware VOITAX Records | The Electro Review

Swarm Intelligence
Ultraware
VOITAX Records
TBR: Early January 2020


With a mission to reinvent rave culture for the twenty-first century music fan, Swarm Intelligence brings us an astounding EP. Born in Dublin and now working from Berlin, this artist is perfectly placed to make the most impact with his sounds. With recent headway made after the acclaimed Against The Dying Light which saw him played on more dance-floors than they could count, this next epoch unravels four brand new and futuristic sounding works of dance. Lick your lips as you get treated to an infusion of jungle, electro, techno, and good old fashioned big-beat with this new influx of sonic material.


The EP begins with a track called Rise Of The Machines. The tempo is strict, a quick bass pounds in an abstract timing while shakers and rattles fill the spaces. After a few bars of funky tribal minimalism a huge bass wafts in. A regular beat penetrates the colourful array of percussives which instigates a vigorous energy. If that's not enough, a second layer of extra sound is white-washed across the top. Wailing 'artmosphere' with heavy static courses through the underside, and overflows at the top. When this has expelled its initial energies, a new and seductive rhythm captures another ribbon in the flow. Chatty drums with plenty of interesting effects clatter and bash away at the whole composition. A massive bass-beat kicks in which shakes everything at the sides. An addition of discordant waves penetrate the flow with an abstract energy which inspires creative dance moves. The rhythm unleashes a burst of extra beats, in turn the music jumps into another state of being. Heavy, resonant bass seeps from the gooey centre while crunchy and tense beats evaporate from the undulating surface. The rhythms saunter along with distinctive variations along the same theme of up-beat tempo. New and interesting sounds are continually added to the mix which gives the dynamic of the track an extra layer of quality.


Next, a static infused bass begins a looping journey which crosses over the layers in quick echoes. A wavery sonic wisps up through the pipework to reveal a sudden bring-on of dashing rhythms. Strange noises and organic clamberings combine with an awkward yet addictive tempo. Behind, a whole foray of sounds and abstractions rage like a glowing light-source. The trumpets begin, a huge blast of dancing frenzy ensues as the horn riff thunders out with a jazz like emphasis. This is Holographic, a massive dance number with intellectual beats which contains something for everyone in the club.


Cybernetic enjoys a calm and melodious intro as synth pads lay sheets of sound across our notion of audible space. A slight bleeping melody cuts the fabric which after a few snips gives rise to an injection of steady electro beats. A thudding bass-drum carries subtle shakes and rolling cymbals, each with adjustments of tone so they complete a sonic jigsaw. Then, a bouncy lead synth strikes in with shifting melody, simple yet dynamic, notes swerve from one side to another as shattering rhythms continue to splice the track. The main synth melody changes bit by bit with a progression into ever more twisted and space-age imagery.


The final track starts with distorted kick-drum and fast-tapping metal-work. The tempo seems to quicken and falter again and robotic warbles chitter across the sonic amalgam. As the track progresses, distant chanting electronics bounce into view from across synthesised horizons. Disparate synths sweep across jumpy rhythms that sting and rip with continual adjustments. Eerie sounds waft across in clouds of mechanical awe while quick pulses from the rhythmic undercarriage continue to twist and distort under their own pressure and pace. Our Wounds Are Opposite gradually evolves into a multi-tonal composition of avenues and roads that jostle along a familiar rhythm.


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