ORBE ejects thirteen spaced-out stories into the atmosphere and pushes the boundaries of experimentation in techno music with “Beyond Our Ability”, continuing an exceptional string of LPs for Jeff Mills’ illustrious Axis Records catalog.
Off-worldly soundscapes and organic pulsating beats rush through the first handful of numbers “Uncharted World” through “Strange Wasteland”, where the Spanish techno connoisseur sets the tone of the album in conjunction with unconventional sound design and cosmic textures running amok.
The LP then side-steps even further down the rabbit hole on evolving novelesque tracks like “Constellation Of Kasterborous” or “Martian Colony Gone Ever Independent”, and delve out of four-to-the-floor territory with off-kilter kick patterns in “Time Lords” and “Planetary Stature”, both which induce heavy body movement along with further introspection into the unknown. “Bottomless Neon” does a remarkable job at highlighting the droney auras of outer space that are scattered throughout the album, giving off the assumption the entire body of work was produced aboard a starship.
Finishing off as strongly as he begun, ORBE ends the LP on a coup de grace of strong mechanical dancefloor tempests with “Disturbing To The Human Mind”, “Algrecias Night Invaders” and lastly “A Desert Planet With No Natural Precipitation”, which does an exceptionally extravagant job of droning you out to end the transcendental listening experience.
Warm and punchy mastering from Miguel Sar (Seen recently in the Axis catalog with his own debut LP) ensures a delightful listening experience on all mediums, especially at high volume for the full low end and midrange experience. Along with ORBE’s immaculate sound design and production, the partnership perfectly encapsulates the Axis ethos of cosmic, forward-thinking techno.
-Kai Loo
Link – Bandcamp
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