SHAPEDNOISE Vinyl & CDs

Review: Berlin-based Italian producer Shapednoise presents his first album in four long years, and it feels like a bold next step for the project, without rewriting any of the history behind it. So in the past we've seen the studio talent explore staunchly experimental sounds at the confluence of grime, industrial, hip-hop, metal, and bass, and here we hear those elements return, only this time with perhaps even more weight. Deconstructed noises are rebuilt in new, coherent ways, introducing a degree of flow to arrangements that are fundamentally abstract. In many ways, the impact is greater than ever, and the feeling of commitment to the finished listening experience truly pronounced. Marking a comeback after a traumatic period in which Shapednoise lost his hearing, rendering him unable to work, it's understandable that the return should feel so determined.