The path taken by James Ford and Jas Shaw on Unpatterns can be succinctly described as a second brave foray into the world of techno, though that would be understating the scope of their third full album release. But this record is all about understatement, or at least wielding the refined power derived from taking a subtler approach to electronic dance music than their previous outings. Dispensing with high-profile collaborations that shaped the pop-electro-crossover which defined 2009’s Temporary Pleasure; big names like Beth Ditto and Damon Albarn come nowhere near the credits on Unpatterns. In fact, the feel of the record is antithetical to the title of Temporary Pleasure’s lead track ‘Audacity of Huge’. This doesn’t try to be huge; refusing to pander towards the commercial, but may well mark an audaciously shrewd step for Simian Mobile Disco.
Shunning the mainstream for more underground influences, at its best Unpatterns takes clear influence from Futuregarage productions, with the tropes of Rustie and Sepalcure making it onto the likes of ‘Seraphim’. Simian Mobile Disco are clearly separate from that scene, yet are able to use the familiar sounds to provide perspicacious reflection upon current underground trends, whilst maintaining a fresh perspective. The influences on the record are varied, with Cerulean opening in a manner oddly reminiscent of WHY? on ‘A Sky For Shoeing Horses Under’, before giving way to squirming synths and an unstoppable drumbeat fashioning a solidly geometrical tune. It stands out as a highlight alongside ‘Interference’; a track which surely soon be gracing dancefloors worldwide, with noodling synths reverberating over unrelenting rhythmic whirring to create a smooth showstopper worth shouting about.
To have utilised the sounds of the underground and continued with scholarly dedication to advancing the genre of electronic dance music without courting the commercial is admirable. However it’s lacking the hard-hitting punch that previous records have held with standout hits like ‘Hustler’; the moments of understated brilliance perhaps don’t vindicate the record as a whole. Requiring more punch to entice the casual listener, it feels like it’s exhausted its capacity for a hit on ‘Interference’. Not a record that will have many but the most dedicated listeners reaping its full rewards, though with the growing popularity of artists such as Burial, a more refined approach may breed success.
Rishi Modha 