Kuedo - Assertion of a Surrounding Presence EP (2015)

It's been some four years since Kuedo released Serverant on Planet Mu, a debut album that marked him out as a fine maker of sci-fi tinged, synthesizer-heavy electronica. The grandly titled Assertion of a Surrounding Presence sees him in a more reflective, largely downbeat mood, countering his usual crystalline melodies with darker influences, both from the worlds of electronica and IDM, and dance music at large. Some may hear mangled interpretations of ghetto-tech, footwork and '90s tech-step in his beat patterns, though these are used sparingly and - for the most part - don't detract from Kuedo's principal vision. It's a formula that, across the six tracks, results in some beguiling compositions.