by Rick Anderson
If you find abstract techno just a little bit too linear, or if you think drum'n'bass would be great if only it were a bit more abrasive, then Datach'i (née Joseph Fraioli) is the guy for you. His debut album opens with what sounds like a breakbeat loop run through a series of flanges and filters, creating a sound so distorted that what were once pitchless beats end up sounding harmonized (harmonized by a coked-up space alien, mind you, but harmonized nonetheless). More surprising is the second track, which can best be described as what Discreet Music would have sounded like if Brian Eno suffered from Tourette's Syndrome -- it's basically a genuinely beautiful chord progression rendered in cheesy, faux-analog synth tones over a churning, burping drum and bass rhythm track. By track three you're listening to some sort of strange, 1950s-era porno recitation and you know that there's no point in thinking about any of this -- you're just going to have to turn off your mind and let this guy have his way with it. The two parts of &VCR Powered Carcass& both sound like Skinny Puppy, Ministry and Roni Size thrown together in a blender; &Leonard Park& is actually kind of funky, which is something of a relief, while &Fried Notes& deconstructs, hilariously, the &Mexican Hat Dance.& Listening to some of these tracks on earphones may damage you physically, whereas listening to them on speakers may damage you socially. Proceed with caution. Do proceed, though.