Mark Fell got into Acid Techno at an early age. You can hear it in some of his work. No matter how obtuse or difficult the material he puts out (and he’s well-known for putting out some challenging material) acid never seemed to be too far behind. Manitutshu is Mark Fell’s tribute to acid techno.
The album is the third one Mark’s released in the course of the past few months. Usually artists tend to space things out a bit more evenly. Considering the several year hiatus he took from SND and his own solo’s work previous small output, it is a bit of a maniac release schedule.
Manitutshu is a bit maniac itself. Right from the beginning you’re treated to a hyper-active sonic landscape. The first track pings and splatters around the eardrums. All the glorious funkiness and processing you’ve associated with Mark’s previous efforts is here in full. Despite the supposed nature of the work (these were original samples for Native Instruments) they hold together quite well. It’s Native Instruments loss since they rejected these pristine sounds.
Actually, this may be Mark’s fastest work. Each piece blazes through its track length. For me the third track would probably be the most recognizable track. Others show a new path for Mark’s focus; particularly the fifth which evolves so startlingly fast. The ninth track even shows off a particularly aggressive approach unusual in Mark’s mellow world.
Finally there’s the giant closer, a remix by Mat Steel. Some would consider this more “SND-like” in terms of its repetitive nature. I feel it may be more of a digital version of Zoviet France. The extremely slow and almost-industrial vibe the track gives off reminds me strongly of that seminal band.
Overall, this may be one of my favorite things Mark has put out in some time. It is less abstract than “UL8” and more immediately graspable than “Multistability”. With Manitutshu, Mark shows us a little of where he may take his sound and SND project.