M2 (Squaremeter) - Aswad review

[Klaxer]

Many Heathen Harvest readers may be better acquainted with Mathis Mootz creations under the name Panacea rather than his work as Square Metered. Panacea has dominated the electronic drum n bass music scene for quite a few years now. Panacea has remained a defining force in the electronic music scene both in the United States and Europe since their debut in1996.

 

 

 

Launching off the success of Panacea Mathis Mootz launched M2 in the year 2002 with the debut release14id1610s on Ant-Zen records. Mootz struck out in a new directions with M2 exploring more minimalist glitch and cut electronic music. Though this new musical project differed in direction from Mathis Mootz previous work under the moniker of Panacea it was none the less quickly embraced by electronic music enthusiasts. Aswad is the tenth album Mootz has created under the M2 banner.

 

 

 

Electronic music listeners looking for more of Mootz's electronic wizardry similar to previous M2 excursions will either be sadly disappointed or happily surprised by the drastic direction that M2 has taken. M2 has abandoned the minimalist landscapes of popping, crackling, and disconnected sounds that once defined this musical project. M2 has been chosen by Mootz as the vehicle for new musical ideas and explorations. For those looking for more of the same you may have to say goodbye to the sound that you've come to love. But do not despair in its place Mootz is exploring intriguing new musical territory which should prove engaging to even the hardest music critic.

 

 

 

M2 – Aswad can most easily be defined by the pacing and structure of the new sound. Mootz has put the brakes on the rapid blips and beats that have for so long been his signature. Aswad sees the artist diving headfirst into very cold, black waters. Imagine the dark ambient music of Lustmord forged together with the ethnic / electronic band This Morn Omina. If your imagination can stretch far enough you might be able to wrap your mind around the concept of the new M2 - Aswad album. Part deep space dark ambient and part Arabic rhythmic industrial music this album doesn't really have a predecessor in the genre though elements of This Morn Omina, Muslim Gauze, and Lustmord are the closest similarities that could be drawn. Fans of the know deceased Muslim Gauze will find some similarities to the new Aswad album though M2's musical explorations tend to delve into more ambient depths than Muslim Gauze was known for exploring.

 

 

 

It has been noted by Ant-Zen and Mootz that the Aswad album may initially be a put off for some of Mootz fans who have come to expect a particular musical formula from the artist. This is always the case when music listeners are challenged by an artist's growth into new territory that can be unfamiliar to what fans and listeners become conditioned to. Though M2 may be leaving some fixated listeners behind I also think he will be picking up any number of new devotees.

 

 

 

The Aswad album kicks off with a chilling dark intro in the form of the song Sifer. If previous drum n bass fans can survive the dark subterranean beginnings of Sifer then they might like this album. I was hooked as soon as the dark atmosphere began to emit pour from the speakers. Industrial and electronic sounds are expertly mixed into a streaming narrative filled with restrained power and dark esoteric currents. A woman chants over the music and a slight rhythmic layer is placed over the darkness. This theme remains in the music for quite some time creating a very lulling and trance inducing listening experience. It is amidst this dark calm that M2 releases some of the best trance and drum and bass I have ever heard. If you hold on through the dark ambient beginnings of Sifer you are rewarded with an evolving song that finds its way to being danceable. Drum n bass elements are slowed down here creating a much less futuristic and mechanical sound. Instead M2 blends these slower more sensuous beats into this new thick stew of sinister ambience. Sifer clocks in at over 10 minutes long which grants Mootz plenty of time to create some very deep electronic esoteric music that is quite unparalleled.

 

 

 

The second song on the album Tahat ratchets the music up a notch by cruising into a more rhythmic composition that incorporates tribal and ethnic elements into the music. Suddenly the Arabic titles and song names all make sense as the pulsing electronic music is pierced by the divine singing of an Arabic male. Amidst the fluid and very danceable beats are accents of ethnic instruments and percussion. Mootz has mastered the fusion of electronics and ethnic elements and has definitely reached a plateau here. Not since Ah Comma Sotz and This Morn Omina has electronic music of this nature been so captivating.

 

 

 

The third song Aswad begins with familiar cut and glitch elements that bring the listener back to M2's roots. These electronic elements are joined by more rhythmic tribal elements and heavy electronic trance elements that quickly transform the song into another epic electronic journey. With an open mind and a healthy imagination this music moves you into a very spiritual place filled with sensuality and a sense of mysticism. Track four titled Kefaya returns the album to a slower pace with a suspenseful track that feels somewhat cinematic. After a considerable time when Mootz has you thoroughly convinced that the rest of the song is going to be slow, dark, and monotonous beefy rhythms cascade down and transform the song into a hard hitting ethnic trance attack. The beats come on so suddenly and aggressively it really reminds you not too presume anything about the album. Track five begins with a descent into the underworld. Dark exploratory sounds fade in and out sharing space with distant acoustic instruments and strange rhythms. The one acoustic instrument that is discernable is stringed and played with a bow. The music sole stringed instrument lends a haunting quality to the formless dark electronics sounds around it. The song transforms in speed and sound developing into a strange hybrid of industrial electronics and ethnic chanting and instrumentation. The music is performed flawlessly and is absolutely infectious.

 

 

 

Song six titled Imsak begins rather slow and is highlighted by a man chanting in Arabic. The song instills a sense of sentimentality that drew my mind into contemplating the current conflict and tension between the East and West. And just as I began to settle into my thoughts the song explodes with rhythmic electronic beats that shatter the peacefulness of reflection. Much like the peace of the Middle East seems forever shattered. The fierce electronics give way part way through to a stringed acoustic instrument that plays out a nice ethnic loop over the electronics. Harmony is restored as acoustic fragility is balance with fierce electronics. The seventh song titled Khalast begins with a sole deep thundering rumble that reminds one of a classic Lustmord track. Khalast is certainly one of the darker more ambient tracks on the album. Khalast really helps define the album and keeps the track line up from sounding too uniform. Wala Hayo is the last song on the album and it follows its predecessor in terms of restricting itself to a very gradual and slow build up. Slow drawn out sounds are accented by tad bits of controlled noise and dissonance. Wala Hayo breeds tension and unsettling feelings in the listener akin to a cinematic experience.

 

 

 

M2 has achieved the ultimate symbiosis between acoustic and ethnic sounds and dark electronics. Radical faeries that love music that engages the mind and the body will be well satiated by this phenomenal album. Dark music fans that indulge in electronic music and dark ambient will want to experience this album as well. Faeries with an interest in ethnic / electronic fusion music like Goa Trance much more reflective and darker would also enjoy M2 - Aswad. Radical Faeries looking for music that balances electronics and ethnic influences as well as inspiration and darkness in a fiercely intelligent and mature manner should explore the sonic worlds created in M2 – Aswad. Faeries that are looking for dark dance music that has moments of calm between the storms will find this album addictive. Faeries unfamiliar with dark electronic music or modern electronic hybrids but like exploring sensual, dark, rhythmic music would find M2 – Aswad as a good starting point.

 

 

Tracklist programm:

 

1. Sifer 10:26'

2. Tahat 7:04'

3. Aswad 5:57'

4. Kefaya 8:35'

5. Faregh 7:32'

6. Imsak 8:25'

7. Khalast 8:12'

8. Wala Hayoh 11:18'

 

Total running time: 67:29

 

[c] & [p] 2004 ANT-ZEN