Stealthy office park chic for your listening pleasure.
Machines In Care is the 2019 release by the enigmatic Ouxh. Released on Melbourne based LKR Records, Ouxh delivers 3 finely crafted Electro dance tracks over a 17 minute run time.
Titular track Machines In Care sidesteps Electronic music’s fantasy of the singularity for the tranquil co-habitation of our shared world with the man-made, that is to say, printers and the machines used to create the music on this record.
Middle track Birdman opens with the reverberating echo of a dull alarm until kicks and snare get the rhythm flowing like the first lurches of traffic on a cold city morning. Electronic chirps begin to punctuate the track’s cold atmosphere as Birdman’s sweet sunrise melody works its way into focus. Textural warmth of crackles and pops blanket the track as small melodic motifs gradually reveal themselves. It’s sonically serene yet supplies dance floor rhythm worth getting up for.
Much like Ambient music, Machines In Care rewards both active and passive listening by striking a balance of active drive and hypnotic slow growth across much of the album. Throughout, Ouxh utilizes what stereophonic technology has to offer, pushing the bilateral dynamics of each track without waning to cheap psychedelic auditory tricks.
Closing track Coma Void does exactly this with a chopped and processed vocal loop and a delightfully dizzying Kraftwerk-esque staccato melody which swirls around its captive audience. Having traded in winter mornings for a more hyped-up driving force, Coma Void may not necessarily keep the cool tranquility of former tracks, but remains harmonious in Machines In Care’s city-sonic palette and dance floor operations.
For fans of: Aphex Twin, Adam F, Goldie
Like Ouxh? Give these a listen: Joe Koshin, Radioactive Man, The Disciples of Jovan Blade
The Resident Sound 