I-Gor - "Barwy Kolorow" from igloomag

I:GOR - Barwy Kolorow
M-Tronic

I:GOR hails from Poland, where he has been crafting his breakbeats since 1994, documenting his progress on a multitude of labels, notably Detroit's Low Res, but also including Suburban Trash and Hangars Liquides. "Barwy Kolorow" makes its appearance on the France-based M-Tronic, and it should be a long and rewarding relationship, based on this release.

I:GOR varies his style on this album, never settling into anything long enough to have it labeled a sound. There's the power electronics of "Kiedys Zrozmiesz", the trip-hop of "Niekochani", the industrial hip hop of "Cannibalism", and so on. Sounds like a mess, but it isn't, not by a long shot. The album coheres in a manner that is slightly surprising, given the genre-hopping it does. But each track does lead into the next - not mixed together, but as if someone was creating a mix-tape for that someone special in their life. There's a care in the track sequencing which some electronic artists seem to ignore, but I:GOR thrives on.

The Jenkinson fanatics get something to crow about on "Hullaballoo," which employs what sounds like live bass and drums, and has a nice jazzy squarepusher vibe. And like the best Squarepusher or Venetian Snares, this album sounds great L-O-U-D. Like most breakbeat, the subtleties in the beat are lost at a low volume, and this is no exception. Even headphones don't really bring out the hidden treasures of this album which become apparent at a mind-shearing volume.