Move D - Namlook V: Wired

Pete Namlook can put out a decent album in the time it takes the average person to get ready for work. This is not to say that everything he does is groundbreaking, trend-setting, or jaw-dropping — but rarely does a FAX release deviate too far from its successful formula. Wired finds "Prolific Pete" with Move D (aka David Moufang) in a collaboration that occasionally mirrors 1994s Alien Community, Part 1+2, with its patiently unfolding beeps and sizzles that gives way to a beat that won't quit — nor does it need to. The 27-minute opener, "Softwired." is a modest groove, ornamented with some analog portamento keyboard and a jazzy electric guitar that sounds like George Benson on the outer perimeter of Alpha Centauri. A trio of tracks pulse their way out of the laboratory next, with "Hardwired — Tangent," "Hardwired — Hypotenuse," and "Hardwired — Asymptote" bleeding from one track to the next with gurgling, mid-tempo percussion and a subsonic chord breathing in the distance. The piece works its way into colder territory for the middle section, as much of the existing rhythm traverses through vapors of synth. The final four-minute passage dispenses with the percussion altogether, and simply holds your breath for you in the clouds of ether. "Wear Your Love Out" is a melodic lullaby in ambient loops and a heartbeat of bass drum, and someone actually sings the title a few times. The results are two parts soothing to one part conservative. "1969," the disc's closer, is a ghost in the machine; a submerged collage of backmasking and depth charges that loops Adagio for Strings in the final minutes. Much of Wired is music for a late-night drive that won't distract you from the road. The sound is sparse at times but, for those familiar with the FAX label, it's a worthy addition.