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Quench
Punctuated

Stepping aside from their day-to-day Funckarma mark, the prolific Dutch digital duo of brothers Roel and Don Funcken is a dependable mainstay of IDM found on labels such as Dub, U-Cover and Neo Ouija. Under the Quench side project, the pair collect eleven dense works of pure electro that seem to waver between inviting and menacing postures. Punctuated is Quench's first full-length MiniDisc-only project, released courtesy of the California-based n5MD.

The wordless ambience of the opener "Nightshelf" is only one highlight, bleeping and whirring away into empty starlight. Perhaps the best work, "Vexx" brings us a brooding, mammoth epic: relentless, tight snares reverberating into dust; primal bass trying to thump out an answer to pain-filled string phrases. Atop a nimble, Funckarma-style percussive thread, "Diaz" nearly smothers the listener under blankets of synthetic texture, while "Nemm" bubbles its melody through an equally tense, liquid rhythm. "Coil" manages to nail bouncy funk together with passionate, sensuous strings, an imaginary soundtrack that opens with a naughty, flirtatious bent but ends in a seriously hot and heavy makeout session.

These are but only a few examples; very nearly each track is a solid effort. From start to finish, Quench's stunning Punctuatedis filled with abrasive, lush, haunting sound; a moving and viscerally intense release that rarely slows down to take a breath.

Given the closed technical nature of the MiniDisc format and the advent of DVD-Rs and iPod-scale hard disk recording, the jury may be getting closer to deciding if it is becoming an obsolete format, which is a shame, because this unique and emotive release really deserves to be heard by as many people as possible.

   last updated June 21, 2003

Release Information

Punctuated



MiniDisc
N5MD (US)