Entro Senestre – Surface
US producer Jon Beall has established his reputation with releases for WT Records, L.I.E.S and Echovolt. However, this latest release under his Entro Senestre name offers a different perspective to his production work and suggests that his musical roots go deeper than one might have expected. Inspired mainly by Detroit electro and techno, it starts with “The Screen”, a wonderfully paranoid piece of music. Acid-soaked bass and hardcore-referencing ghostly ‘ah ahs’ provide the backdrop against which Beall plays out Drexciyan synth riffs and a narrative that claims consumers are being controlled by corporations via the use of mobile devices. It’s electro conspiracy theory material of the highest calibre.
Beall softens his sound and stance somewhat with “Hit The Road”. Here, the sound is lighter and mellower, with sublime hooks and mysterious textures that are reflected off tight drums and a pulsing, acidic groove. It sounds a bit like Convextion fused with early Aril Brikha. “Trials of Love” sees the US producer keep his focus on classic tropes; tight 808s and niggling percussion support drums that crash in like grey waves as Beall combines dreamy chords with surging acid lines. Like the previous tracks, it has echoes of Drexciya and E.R.P/Convextion without sounding generic.
The release ends with “Slow Motion Disaster”, which like the other tracks, draws on American electronic music’s rich heritage. It’s also the darkest and densest composition on offer; classic electro drums patterns and a cold, austere rhythm provide the backdrop for eerie textures and a synth riff that has all the naked ferocity of Drexciya’s “Black Sea”.
Surface will surprise, and may even baffle, those who have bought previous Entro Senestre records, but proves that the producer works with confidence and finesse with a style that many would struggle to interpret. It bodes well for whatever direction Beall takes in the future.
Richard Brophy
Tracklisting:
A1. The Screen
A2. Hit The Road
B1. Trials Of Love
B2. Slow Motion Disaster