4 out of 5

Label: Analogical Force

Produced by: Tom Ferreira

Coming from a relatively new school scene of IDM revivalists, Fasme’s sound, initially, was maybe as limiting and referential as that description can sound: tracks were very polished, but not too distinct, pulling from the Global Goon / Yee-King school of laid back Rephlex jams rather exactly.

While maintaining that general structure – and Bloom’s least impressive tracks stick to it rather exactingly – Fasme has been developing a more distinct identity on top of it, by bringing in a balance of new school song construction and old school club beats and smoothing it all together with some amazing production. Though this album starts out in its most typical territory, nibbing from Aphex’s On and then trawling through 90s Warp techno burble, the way the house beat drops in opener Solar is quite telling; by F.O.G, though repetitive, Fasme has completely upped their game (and the BPM on this song in particular) setting all those inspirational bits in the background of more playful exploration. The ghost of Rephlex and the label’s mainstays is never far away – hard not to think of a certain someone when a track had ‘Polygon’ in the title – but, again, it’s more a matter of Fasme stacking the pieces so they can then duck and dodge through them in unexpected ways that also satisfies on a comfortable “this sounds familiar” front. It’s a tricky balance the artist pretty much nails after those first couple songs, underlined by the most brilliant production that synchronizes these different eras of electronic, and is modernized by a kind of accessible verse-chorus-verse approach to the compositions.

A very pleasing turnaround and surprise.