Wrapping

It is perhaps surprising, considering the gentleness of this debut LP and its preceding singles, that they were in fact recorded while their creator, Esa Ruoho, worked out his Finnish National Service. As with much of the output of Clair Poulton's Defocus imprint, this is a record which pays considerable homage to the Artificial Intelligence era; indeed, following the release of singles for a myriad of different labels and compadres, with Brothomstates having been snapped up by Warp earlier in the year, Ruoho has proven himself something of a hot property in the world of ambient techno. Like the output of Audio Dregs or Germany's Elektrolux, Ruoho's unique selling point comes in his ability to encourage organic growth from synthetic elements, with this album an unrivalled 14-track selection of gently undulating techno where expansive aural vistas are carefully constructed from fragmented electronics and the occasional brittle percussive sample.