R4 – Tresor 379

Hamburg’s Helena Hauff and F#X return resurrect their darkly experimental Black Sites project after an 11 year hiatus. Their first full length LP – for Berlin’s techno institution Tresor Records, no less – pulls about as few punches as any of their material, improvised live and recorded straight to tape with minimal editing and post-production buffing up. ‘BLOKK’ has a touch of the distorted glories of Aphex’s early Polygon Window work, ‘C4’ has a low slung bassline throb and supercharged kick meets radioactive cymbal rhythm track, and elsewhere skeletal electro and Throbbing Gristle-style industrial noise either does battle or teams up. Maximum toxicity!