Traditional Music of Notional Species Vol. I was a shockingly enjoyable and memorable release from someone who had previously never released a full-length album, but it’s easy for the shock to dissipate if we just consider the plethora of experimental musicians who Rashad Becker has worked with through his ongoing Dublates & Mastering (mastering) gig. You think your music would sound vanilla if you spent roughly two decades putting the finishing touches on releases from artists like Florian Hecker, D/P/I, and Russell Haswell? The sonic distinction of Becker’s first official LP in which his name wasn’t relegated to the margins was predictable, and yet, I doubt many people knew quite what to expect from the versatile tech enigma, simultaneously everywhere and not within the experimental music world.
Now Becker’s front and center again with the announcement of Traditional Music of Notional Species Vol. II, and contrary to its preceding release, the fact that this is a genuine follow-up makes expectations a little easier to conjure. The equipment sounds similar despite an attested incorporation of “more instrumental-sounding components,” and there are hints of the earlier swells that sounded like buzzing electronic insects getting closer and closer.
Wait and hear for yourself. Vol. II is out December 2 on PAN.
Traditional Music of Notional Species Vol. II tracklisting:
01. themes V
02. themes VI
03. themes VII
04. themes VIII
05. dances V
06. dances VI
07. dances VII
08. dances VIII
More about: Rashad Becker
