Erika: Hexagon Cloud Label: Interdimensional Transmissions

I love the fact that Erika was a former college radio nerd at WCBN in Ann Arbor. Her knowledge of freeform music comes through in this album. Too often, dance-music DJ/producers rely on tried-and-true formulas for making tracks. Erika, however, challenges the listeners with sci-fi sound collages and irregular, asymmetric tones. The result is unpredictable and often disturbing - in a good way. Erika's ambient electronic tracks on this album are strong (#2 "Early Warning Starfield" & #4 "Tunneling"), and the strong dance-y tracks are #1 "North Hex", #3 "Gardeners", and #5 "Tow Ride".

1. "North Hex" (6:24) - Shimmering tones, deep bassy warbles, a solid beat. Brainy, nerdy tech-house that's forward thinking and mesmerizing.
2. "Early Warning Starfield" (2:45) - Experimental electronica - multiple layers of blipping synths and effects - no beats.
3. "Gardeners" (6:20) - Dubby & deep beats laid out kind of like Miami bass/electro, with space-y synths and a weird little synth warble.
4. "Tunneling" (3:28) - Sinister ambient track - disturbing percussive tones and explosive thunderclaps with spooky synths.
5. "Tow Ride" (6:21) - A really deep and mesmerizing bassline, with claps, and a trippy little echoing tone. Disturbingly funky.
6. "No. 3" (4:54) - Sparse and minimalistic techno. Gentle shimmering tones over a barely-there skeleton of beats and bass.
7. "The Awakening" (6:56) - Exotic synths and sci-fi ambience over a techy-house freamwork.
8. "Metachrosis" (5:36) - An insistent rolling bass and minimal synths, sci-fi effects.