ill Life

A 6 track techno ep (37m 37s) — released June 3rd 2013 on Infinite Machine

Cambridge resident Samuel Emerson Iliffe, aka ill Life, is driven by a penchant for warping things. Akin to warping his sonorous surname into the "ill Life" moniker, he warps formely innocuous techno fare into a clangorous, concussive march of living, breathing percussion. Samuel's sonics seemingly owe a considerable amount to recent innovations from the likes of Blawan or Perc Trax alumni, however his only fault is taking part in the phenomenon of "synchronous innovation". Before Karenn coalesced, before Clouds' newest offerings started being rinsed, ill Life had long since moulded his sound. It is Infinite Machine's infinite regret to have discovered him so belatedly. But there's no use crying over spilled trax.

"Ever Decreasing Circles" blasts off right away, employing burrowing sounds, and disgruntled mechanical noise that is ostensibly trying to shrug off the tyranny of the relentless 4/4 pulse, but never quite manages. There is conflict at the core of this track, and by the time the subtle tension of metallic dub stabs sets in, and immersive quality of the pitched-down, k-hole vox ruminations takes hold, the listener is smack dab in the middle of it. Staying true to its name, the track constricts further and further, until the ceaseless burrowing nearly instills a body high.

Operating in an alternate universe where Moby was a speedball enthusiast, "Go" is an overwhelming rave tirade, insinuating itself with muttered vocal clips and intently punctuated by the reccuring lead sample, while percussion creates a dizzying effect by virtue of its doppler-effect like dynamics.

"Come Out" is an arithmetic mean between warehouse and dub techno, driven forth by visceral vibrations in both the perc and lowend. An instrospective number , it provides a welcome mid-EP opportunity to catch one's breath.

Borealis builds on the foundation of "Ever Decreasing Circles" with a copious serving of acid before finally climaxing into his trademark shadow trance euphoria.

Kommune1 masterfully bridges the gap between the two essential stompers, seemingly sounding like a megamix of the two.

Musical polymath Liar yet again steps in to supply the shameless banger, crafting a cohseive whole from aquatic, Drexciyan electro, an almost comical take on acid, mindless cathartic drumming and very nearly illegal sound design. "I know you're different, cause I'm really normal", it insists, with no small amount of irony. A nod to all all things warehouse, this "resex" bridges the gap between 90's nostalgia and the forward-thinking histrionics of the original mix.

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