Review:
It's hard not to admire Dutch producer Albert Van Abbe's approach. With no fuss or hype, he started No Comment, releasing defiantly underground music that makes nods to Detroit electro and techno and European minimalism. Van Abbe's unusual sound, which sits somewhere between these styles, has attracted remixers like Conforce, Sleeparchive - from whose music he derives inspiration - and most impressively, Convextion and Heinrich Mueller aka Gerald Donald. The former Drexciya member is in fine form on this split release; working under his Der Zyklus guise, his "Von Neumann Replicator" offers up a spellbinding combination of steely 808s and surging bass with eerie, mystical synths. Van Abbe's "Von Neumann Machine" is impressive too, with brittle drums and a buzzing bass making way to reflective, tonal bleeps. The Dutch producer's second take on "Von Neumann Machine" sees him focus on a more visceral approach as a squelchy bass and rave riffs play out over skeletal percussion.