Don’t operate heavy machinery while listening to this. I’m not kidding. Every time I tried to get up and move around I felt confused as to what was going on. Clearly this is an indication of exactly what sort of bizarre material you’re about to dive into. Marcus’s work usually seems pleasant to me, but this is the first release of his where I can really sink my teeth into the material.
Arpeggios are served up, cut up, and subjected to a “Shepard Tone”. This gives the illusion of a tone which is continually ascends or descends in pitch. That’s where the drunken feeling of the music comes from as you try to sort out if there’s a melody or any sort of movement. Maybe there is, but that’s never completely certain.
Is this strange music? Oh yes, it most definitely challenges the listener. Oddly, despite the academic origins of the music, it is enjoyable on a casual level. Pieces of Hecker’s modus operandi are clearly on display, without any of the more psychotic elements his music usually employs.
Using arpeggiated synthesizer tones allows the music to become considerably easier to access. Common themes run throughout the album, so if you like the first track, that should give you some indication of whether or not you can get through the rest of this. This is worth listening to, since it is such a unique take on sound.