4 out of 5

Label: WéMè Records

Produced by: John Cunnane

I’d previously somewhat criticized dgoHn for shifting a bit too wishy-washily between Rephlex-loving drum fills and modern melodic electro / beats; John Cunnane – aka dgoHn – clearly took that to heart, and dashed off to class things up with all-star label WéMè Records, dropping a full length that successfully defines a sound melding the glitch with the melodies; tweaked bleeps coated in tinkling, analog-sounding piano. The adoration on this go seems more for early-era Squarepusher, but plenty of the effects are nabbed straight from Drukqsy Aphex; when you blend that with Cunnane’s appreciation for a dash of delicateness, ‘Alterations In Gyral Form’ takes on a more emotional depth than the somewhat body-shakin’ works heard before. …Not that you won’t want to dance to this, but Cunnane has cut a bit of his fun-loving with slower, immersive contemplations. Not quite the Satie of Drukqs, but the artist’s own version of that, approaching a very accessible, mainstream sound – that aforementioned melody – except for how it’s surrounded by stutter-stepped, head-bobbing IDM funk, wresting control from streamlined pop and back to an always-in-motion set of beats and breaks.

The opening and closing of Gyral are pretty brilliant: dgoHn’s nigh-exact mimicry of James / Jenkinson affectations is a pure joy because it’s massaged into rhythms entirely of the artist’s own design, which are slotted next to these blissful piano-based tunes. In the middle of Gyral, though, Cunnane falls somewhat into tedium when trying to affect something a bit more “traditional:” club-geared tracks like Where Is My Hat, and Denzil’s Breath. These beats are good, but the songs stall and loop; without either the Rephlex nods or those distinct melodies, dgoHn doesn’t seem to know exactly what to do, and these songs lack some identity as a result.

But things bounce quickly back with the delicate Cheek Biting, and then we’re in for more breaks and drum fills on the closers.

A wonderful set, and a very satisfying evolution in dgoHn’s style.