Cargo Records

Filth Columnist

If drum and bass could be reduced to its component elements, and re-contextualised as a truly horrifying and soul incinerating music, then certainly London's Imaginary Forces is still drum and bass.

The Filth Columnist does precisely that – deconstructs electronic party music, and turns it into something far far more nightmarish and challenging than the modern sound of jungle music. Having much more musically in common with Sunn O))), Merzbow and spiraling psychedelia than structured electronic music, the album begins with a forceful declamation from guest Closed Circuits and then dive bombs into the mechanic sludge sound of "Comatose Waves," buried underneath the bottom feeder bass of Submerged.

"Entropy & Energy" provides endurance test levels of noise, while the Lethal collaboration "A Two Dimensional Shadow" illustrates the closest possible link to the moden sound of Drum and Bass. The rest of the album combines intelligently used odd time signatures, downtempo reductions and a return of both Submerged and Closed Circuits, ending in a beautiful piece of non-Euclidean ambience.

Written with a total disregard for modern ideas of form and structure, and a brain piercing sense of anger at conformity; the record will not be loved by all, but should be regarded as the important creative work it represents. Drum and bass, breakcore, and beat music turned into a schizophrenic, Ballardian dream.