If minimal techno, like any other genre, has succumbed to the inevitable rule of being trapped by its own description, what makes the best art derives from those who use it as a launching point rather than a guidebook for all behavior. Over time, SCSI-9's work has embraced this tension with often beautiful results, and on Easy as Down it seems almost effortless. There's a strong hint of crossover from the Kompakt model into the lush elegance of the neo-Balearic revival on such songs as "Vesha," where solitary brass parts echo above soothing textures and near-glitch beats, while the sheer chill on "Together" is almost the serene cool of dubstep with a completely different set of beats beneath it, up front instead of ghostly. Furthermore, in a musical realm not always known for straight-up giddy good humor, the playful oompah atmosphere of "Boys Away," regardless of the echo-heavy signals that cut through the mix near the end of the song, adds some nutty quirkiness to the whole. This said, Easy as Down, with its perfectly relentless beats, is almost overwhelming; many tracks feel like gentle variations on each other, often with stunning moments -- the slow build and sudden metallic scrape leading into a kissing cousin of Orbital's famous riff for "Chime" help make "Waterglide" the deserved highlight it is -- though just as often it leads to a general sameyness.
© Ned Raggett /TiVo