This is electronica and dubstep as far removed from the hands-in-the-air, show-stopping, block-rockin' beats of Skrillex as you can get. The only time you're likely to possibly want to move a muscle with any vigour at all is when the beat comes back in, midway through the soaring and shimmering Diamond after an exquisitely long, lingering silence. It's a climactic moment on this dark electronic opus.
Lorn is the alias of Milwaukee musician and producer Marcos Ortega, who has been making beautifully stoic stealth music since the mid-2000s. He released 2010 debut Nothing Else on Brainfeeder, the label owned by Flying Lotus, before being snatched up by London label Ninja Tune for Ask the Dust.
At first, on openers Mercy and Ghosst, the beats come on at a laboured, almost lazy pace, though strong and penetrating. The energy is whipped up by the niggly and agitating future electro soul of Weigh Me Down, a chaotic sonic brutality adds a threatening tone to Everything Is Violence, and The Well is lively (the first part of it at least) as it juggles everything from tin-pot percussion, delicate piano and a lovely, sluggish industrial metronome. Though this music will not make you rest easy, the songs are most effective when listened to on a dark night.
Stars: 4/5
Verdict: Intriguing uneasy electronic listening.
Buy Ask the Dust by Lorn here.
