3 out of 5

Label: Central Processing Unit

Produced by: Bit Folder

Rather standard IDM, a shot up with 90s Rephlex influences. This is right in line with the CPU mandate, of course, replicating that era and label to a certain degree, though we’ve seen a lot of their roster blending in different influences and updating things, such that new superstars are highlighted and emerging thanks to their inclusion in the stable. Bit Folder is absolutely welcome – it’s a great lament that Rephlex, ultimately, seemed here-and-gone, with a lot of promising acts showing up in that flash, only to fade away as well when the label drifted off – but Silicon Frontier is also rather faceless by the same metrics, blending in to other producers who’re capable of making head-bobbing, winding beats and bleeps.

That said, “standard” IDM is kind of a misnomer, as the genre is wide-reaching; the A-side of this EP has some pretty tight, grinding electro, with a nice mechanical percussive layer on Youka, swapped for some bleep-blop keys on the title track – it’s just that the net result can be wrapped up in that IDM tag. The B-side of this EP shows some more defined direction, with The Tritan Cord flirting with an industrial edge, and Legs Akimbo’s beat a bit more aggressive than the comparative bop of the A-side, though neither track holds on to these sensations long enough to make them absolute stand outs.

We’re spoiled for good music, it’s true, and Bit Folder’s Silicon Frontier is part of that. We’re less spoiled for great music, though, and Bit has room to spruce up their personality a bit and massage their influences some more toward something wholly unique.