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Jul 30, 2020There's plenty of industrial techno that simply throws a beat on top of a bland melody, repeats the cycle over the course of an hour, and calls it a day. Bougaïeff applies meticulous care and a deft, trained ear to each track, and the results are marvelous.
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Jul 29, 2020Bougaïeff’s record is toying with the same aesthetics as Nine Inch Nails, but with the dancefloor’s (and hindsight’s perspective) rather than a powerlifting miseryguts’ – and the result carries much more positivity, lifting us up and through the darkness and into the (strobe) light. ... This album is ideal for anyone who likes moving their body and counting at the same time.
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Jul 29, 2020Exhilarating and unpredictable from start to finish, The Upward Spiral is a fresh, fearless perspective on techno.
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UncutJul 29, 2020Nicolas Bougaïeff departs from this template [repetitive 4/4 pulse, set to an unchanging rhythmic grid], using disconcerting shifts in tempo, odd time signatures and Aphex Twin-like experimentation. [Sep 2020, p.27]
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Jul 29, 2020There is very little melody on The Upward Spiral; the sounds are more like drilling, sawing or machines beeping than traditional instrumentation.