Reso - Tangram

Reso / Tangram cover art

After building up the anticipation with several EPs and single releases, the long awaited debut album from this producer finally made its way out of the studio in the form of Tangram. I know this came out in October 2012 but I only just picked up my copy and want to pass on a recommendation.

Given that a tangram is a puzzle made up of different sided shapes that come together to make a whole, this name may be quite apt to describe this album. In terms of style, it's firmly rooted in electronic dance music but remaining difficult to pin down exactly what style, with Tangram featuring soothing ambient, menacing dubstep, furious drum step and even electro house in parts. It is certainly a marked progression from the bass shattering cannon fodder of Slap Chop and War Machine, but at all times keeping the well-produced electronic production sense and the ultra-attentive drum programming, but always with the sense that the album is evidence of evolution, not revolution.

With tracks like Exoframe, Tabris and Virtua Rhythm, Reso's use of jerky basslines, well-crafted percussion and multi-layered synth lines are a joy to hear. With Axion in particular, the combination of synthetic, sampled and live drumming also brings to mind the dark, big beat sets of Jack Dangers and Mest Beat Manifesto, albeit slightly upgraded for a new generation.The album isn't afraid of some geeky videogame in-jokes either, with track names like Half -Life (guess which) and Ishimura (Dead Space), which features samples from the game. There are even some nice spacey interludes, where the album seems to give you enough of a chance for your brain to catch up. Tangram is well worth a look at if you like any kind of electronic music - a real breath of fresh air.