The Pop Corporation

Writing about electronic music is not one of the easier things to do, especially when it is more abstract, and elegantly linear.

With Barker’s ‘Stochastic Drift’, it’s worth it as an exercise though, as what we’ve been faced with is one of the finest electronic LPs we’ve listened to in ages.

It’s part techno, part ambient, part weightless electronica, and while the music will move you, it’ll do so spiritually or intellectually, rather than get you charging headlong toward a dancefloor.

But that isn’t to say this is an exercise in being impenetrably clever – the rhythms ebb and flow like dancefloor music does, but instead of smacking you in the chest, the architecture of the music envelopes the listener, and shifts gears between the delicately propulsion of ‘Reframing’, and the spacious ‘Positive Disintegration’.

Altogether, it’s music that appeals to both the ambient lover in you, as well as the doof-doof enthusiast.

That in itself, is quite the achievement.

While there’s a lot of crossover in electronic music fans’ listening habits, Barker feels like he’s managed to make music for the old-heads who like Kraftwerk, the acid dads who like Orbital, and the kids who need someone who isn’t Jon Hopkins to listen to.

There’s German electronic music, early Noughties electronica, New Age, tech, trance, progressive analogues, and everything besides in the details of this album. It’s a blissful experience that’ll remind you of so much, without ever really apeing anything else.

Most pleasing is just how unrepetitive the LP is when you spend time with it, even though the themes are strong.

Clicky micro beats can whirr away, before slowly unmooring themselves, and returning, while space dust synths glide over entire movements, almost clearing your head of all distractions. It’s beautiful stuff and, for something as non commercial, it’s supremely listenable.

There’s occasions where the music is more dense, more complex, such as the title track, but it’s the galaxy sized, almost dubby, jazzy moments that’ll have you transfixed.

Whether this is the ultimate afters LP, art installation music, or just one of the electronic music nerds, this is a rich and wonderful album that deserves a lot of attention.

With such abstract music, you’ll struggle to find the words as to why it’s so good, but rest assured, this is a spellbinding album.