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Dark Matter by Silicon Scally

Posted by Cameron Vanderzanden on in articles. Source file.
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Dark Matter by Silicon Scally (AKA Carl Finlow). Released in March of 2005 on Satamile Records NYC. Vinyl, 2x12". Flac, 16bit/44.1khz, ~332M. Tracklist and track durations from the back cover artwork. File size, bit depth, and bitrate are of my own stored recordings of the vinyl. BPM is my own count (and is probably inaccurate).

No.Artist / Title BPMDur.
A1.Silicon Scally / Toneworks 12606:24
A2.Silicon Scally / Pace 12007:10
B1.Silicon Scally / Parallel Array 13306:31
B2.Silicon Scally / Indefinite Space 12607:12
C1.Silicon Scally / Clone Alone 12808:10
C2.Silicon Scally / Ghost Wires 14006:12
D1.Silicon Scally / All Torque 13207:00
D2.Silicon Scally / Dark Matter 13407:48

Carl Finlow has a long history in electronic music - over a hundred releases spanning several decades. Of his LPs, EPs, and singles that I've heard this is my favorite (and one of my favorite electro LPs of all time). It's the third album released under his Silicon Scally alias, and the first record of his I purchased new (for $13.99 at Platinum Records in Portland, the price sticker says).

All eight songs are long, evolving, understated electro pieces. Sometimes cryptic and dark (Pace, Ghost Wires, Dark Matter), sometimes more accessible and upbeat (Toneworks, Parallel Array, Indefinite Space, Clone Alone, All Torque). The overall sound of the record seems pleasantly bassy to me, rounded and smooth. There are no bad tracks here, in my opinion. The title track in particular stands out for its deep growling bassline. (Reminds me of a good reese bass).

I really like the track arrangement presented on the vinyl - two per side for a total of eight feels right. Toneworks and Pace are good openers, and the title track is an excellent closer. Listening to the album from start to finish makes sense and that's usually how I consume it, in one sitting.

I think this is a proper classic, a near-perfect album. Dark Matter isn't obscure, most fans of 2000s electro will have heard it. But if you haven't, give it a listen. It's available as a download from Carl Finlow's bandcamp and Satamile Records NYC's bandcamp as well as Clone and Juno. The vinyl is long out of print and is going for what look to me like unreasonable prices on discogs, so if you see one used at the record store snap it up.

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