For anyone who has had the displeasure of attempting to program a drum patch by scratch, they will clearly appreciate Boris Divider’s mastery of it. To further turn that programming into a compelling musical statement is commendable and exciting. In a series of cool, sinister, and minimal tinged contemporary electro tracks, Boris Divider breaks out and further explores generative modular concepts in Generative Operations 3 released on Madrid imprint Drivecom.
Boris Divider has in the past been a solid futurist and an artist who has made a name for himself by being at the crossroads of IDM, Spanish Electro, and audio visual interplay. Boris divider doesn’t spend much time following the dance music scene or is name dropped as regularly as Silicon Scally or even Autechre for that matter, but he is equally important for those that follow his music and recognize him as a leader in the contemporary electro scene. He is something of a ‘Planet X’ that has a gravitational pull over the scene and is an inspiration for all musicians looking to advance their music in a highly futuristic and yet modern way. Boris Divider has been typically classified as a laptop producer since the old ‘MBP’ is a staple of the IDM circuit since the early 2000s, as such his music has had that clinical and sharp edged feel to it. In the recent years with the “Generative Operations” series, Boris Divider has championed a ‘fire and forget’ approach to the music in that he sets up analog modular synthesis to play via a system or overlapping polyrhythms that is ever changing and can be recorded and edited at will to make a complete song without touching a knob.
Generative music, as the term described by Brian Eno in 1995, has been coming to the forefront as of late. More and more people are programming music via modular synthesis. This seems to be modular’s ace in the deck. Typically the old days of Wendy Carlos painstakingly creating a patch to make a bowed piano, or place the oscillators of saws, sine waves, and noise through filters and envelopes to make an unearthly woodwind section in order to perform Bach into a multitrack recorder, may still be around. Yes, some people still muck about and lay down tracks, and still others make unique modular jams, chuffed at the temporal nature of creating a once in a lifetime combination patch. But the real advancement in modular synthesis has come from sound designers such as Richard Divine, or State Azure taking long and deliberate actions to make their modular synth racks make music for them. These systems, once set up, can run for hours never creating the same musical combination twice, with only a certain unified vibe chosen by the artist to house this journey. Boris Divider, of course has been there all along, with a possible want to break free from the confines of the laptop. It makes sense that an artist with such a heavy and astute sound design background, this should be the very thing Boris Divider should be involved in.
First track “GenOp9” starts off with mixed in elements and progresses typically as you would with an electro track, with a very signature Boris Divider digital noisey kick. This typical progression is only so that the track can retain continuity in a dj set, but it soon gives way to the artist just stepping away and letting the long amp LFOs control the introduction of parts right before he shuts it down near the end of the song. But obviously, this track could keep on going for a very long time.
Second track “GenOp10” is a hybrid of fixed architecture synths, classic Roland drums and acid lines alongside a relentless and sinister modular drum track. The main drone is the basis of the track’s main vibe. And the acid line along with a 808/606-esque high hat pattern push the track along. The overall character of the track is hard, dark, and funky. Not something you hear typically said about modular users and Boris Divider here pulls out a really effective and dope electro track using the strengths of each piece of kit. As “hard” as the track goes, it is not overly aggressive, as the beats are not overly distorted and each one of these pieces in the Generative Operations 3 release are very minimal in nature. This track is hard in the way that there’s a very strong and stern presence that cannot be avoided. And the strength of the track commands total respect. Simply stunning.
“GenOp11” Feels more full blown modular this round. There’s some drum elements cut in, but the modular drum programming is funky and full of swing. They hint upon an IDM ‘clicks and cuts’ influenced background but done in a modular sort of way. Parts of the modular are introduced by hand as well, but again they are left to their own devices soon enough. As with “GenOp9” Boris cuts us off right before the track goes too far.
“GenOp12” falls in line with with the rest of the intense and experimental modular drum programming. What’s different about this is the heavy hypnotic nature of this track. The polyrhythms are really vying for attention into each well synthesized drum sound. They turn your ear so much that you don’t know what to do, so you find yourself sent into a space in between all of this. A space of nonexistence.
Boris Divider further pushes the boundaries of what’s possible with modular in this release, and creates some intense and memorable vibes that one would be hard pressed to find anywhere else. The sound is absolutely singularly his, as he creates all parts from scratch. For anyone who has had the displeasure of attempting to program a drum patch by scratch, they will clearly appreciate Boris Divider’s mastery of it. To further turn that programming into a compelling musical statement is commendable and exciting. A great installment in a series of highly artistic and contemporary modular electro.
-Sean Ocean
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