From A Nutter Perspective

Psyreviews’ standard observation about this whole freestyle / suomi subgenre is that, a lot of the time, it’s too weird for its own good. Too emphatic on the postmodernism, the humour, the sheer glitchy mess; and not enough emphasis on big-grin danceability. Luckily for us, Sienis has a solid knack for coupling the danceable with the cheeky, fully present and correct on this album

Sum=Thing teases you with an understated flow that picks up classily subtle energy via a series of deftly-executed changes. The melodies are fun without being too grating – something a lot of current morning-y acts would be advised to learn from, and the groove is pumping without being rushed. Watt Duh Hekk picks up more scratch, and sounds at times like a cross between Artifakt and Texas Faggot. Friggin Box has some of the juciest production I’ve heard lately – deliciously-balanced, bass-heavy stuff that’s like a jelly wall you can throw yourself up against, with hypnotic acid bubbling up from under the surface and a finale that makes even the most past-it jaders stroke their chin while mumbling something like “proper trance.”

At which point, things take a turn. The second half of the album is harder, and some of the tracks suffer because of this. Sienis is at his best when he takes his foot off the pedal and lets the music breathe. Phinary and Digital Dealer are top examples here – decent stuff, but a little too hammer-n-nails to really draw you in. A better example is the restrained mindfuck Triangle Eye Sir, with all the punch and groove but with a more refined movement; likewise the warped, wobbly Me Against Myself, or the delectable Form Another Perspective, which is completely fucked up, but in a good way.

Eye See The I Sea brings it all back together nicely – mad melodies and movement soar up from a tight groove at the heart of the track, and the peak at the end is possibly the best that’s been created since Jefferson Airplane’s White Rabbit: it’s thunderingly good, seriously – and it just leaves you hanging at the end.

Interludes like Memory Mechanix and the opening Nuttin add to the album’s flow and are nicely-produced, and the closing Indian-themed downtempo Earth Womb is well-executed, if a little clichéd.

All in all this is good stuff. I would have liked to hear a couple of more experimental tracks here – one is left with a feeling that Sienis’ music would reach new heights if he was to ditch the 4-4 and move into breaks or some sort of psychedelic drum n’ bass. As it is, however, there are some great moments here. The production has a very real 3d depth to it that has you coming back for more, and the lasting listenability makes it somehow better than the sum of its parts. Nice.