Keith Fullerton Whitman
Vehement Denial / Platelets [7-inch; Make Noise]

The fact that I haven’t reviewed a Keith Fullerton Whitman release, or owned a Keith Fullerton Whitman release, or even heard more than a few snippets via stream, etc., is absolutely ludicrous. I mean, is there a more important modern synthster in the galaxy (and this is what I love about KFW; he’d probably tell you yes) than Keith Fullerton Whitman? And is there a more respected distro out there than Whitman’s Mimaroglu Music? I’m not sure (and if you’re not sure why I’m using so many bold/italics check out MMusic for yourself); in any event it’s an absolute honor to finally taste the forbidden fruit care of this immaculately designed/executed 7-inch, which is part of the Shared System Series. The SSS came about as a way for Make Noise Records to put out material by several different artists using The Shared System (a modular synth that, according to the label, has no particular musical destination), the idea being the artists’ true intentions will emerge if all are strapped to the same equipment. I haven’t heard the first three entries, but based on what KFW came up with on both sides it’s safe to say the Shared System is like a synth snowflake, no two sessions alike. “Vehement Denial” delivers a surprisingly in-your-face, visceral round-a-bout (which had me banging my head a little actually) anchored by an insistent rhythmic component and assorted washes and gurgles of electronics until an eyedropper squeezes out liquid sound in small doses. It’s disorienting, and a bit menacing, yet also a bit playful as sonic splashes yield to a soft-drone to close out. “Platelets” plays it wide and loose, bouncing around the room like a ping-pong ball shot from a computer-fed cannon, ricocheting off rubber walls as a dump truck clears out the sonic riff-raff at random intervals. Also expect high, chirping comp-u-squeaks no louder than a pinprick, (seemingly) programmed sequences that run through a quick self-dialogue then seem to drop off or morph into something else, and even some hyper, punching bag-style bass bumps, followed by a submarine’s navigation system conking out. In case you can’t tell from the length of this ‘blurb,’ I came away from “Vehement Denial”/”Platelets” pretty much astounded. A superbly executed artifact from top to bottom, on limited clear wax…

Cerberus

Cerberus seeks to document the spate of home recorders and backyard labels pressing limited-run LPs, 7-inches, cassettes, and objet d’art with unique packaging and unknown sound. We love everything about the overlooked or unappreciated. If you feel you fit such a category, email us here.

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