The sometime contributor to Darkfloor, Laica, follows up last year’s fantastic Environs release with Environmental Engineering – a six track remix EP.

Released back in October on US independent and experimental electronics pushers Alrealon Musique, Environs was part artistic expression, part intended construct experiment. Exploring a less-is-more route; removing the instrumentation. The result was two longform tracks (20 minutes 16 seconds and 17 minutes 49 seconds respectively) which built on Laica’s field recordings.

the composite sounds of his album have been edited, looped, treated to layers of reverb, run through various resonators, sped up, slowed down, stretched, granulated and eroded – creating an entirely new environment.

Over the course of the EP, Laica’s original composition path is further enhanced and refined.

The first ‘remix’ version comes from The Revenant Sea, who offers a tribal ceremony of sound. Waves of noise wash up against the sombre procession as the track plays out like a narrative.

Black Classical’s beautiful and delicate remix gently shimmers in next, with a deep and starlight lit drone piece that warms the room up. Operating under his Isomorphic alias, John Shima introduces a chilled, dubbed beat loop. It has the feeling of one of those 90s ambient techno numbers noone makes anymore.

The Pokk Environment is the longest remix/version at 11 minutes, 26 seconds. But then it’s the sort of slow, drawn out, get lost in the hint of the groove kinda cut. Best enjoyed letting it envelope your hearing. Not completely focusing on it it allows it to sort of fill your mind. It’s decent but it doesn’t quite stand up to the standard set by the tracks so far.

Sound artist, instrument maker and musician MrUnderwood turns in his take on a Laica Environment, with a similar ritualistic vibe to The Revenant Sea’s version. Underwood’s is darker in tone with menace from his, what I guess to be, tuba growling and snarling 3 minutes in. I would love to hear this track reworked further building into heavier percussion, with more grinding and pounding. As it is though, it’s my favourite cut of the EP.

Finally we have a version from the studio of Pat Hime, formerly known as Patscan. Following more of a sound design path than his earlier electro-breaks-tech as Patscan, his is another shimmering, warming, good to be alive piece. It’s a wonderful introduction to Hime’s new direction, a direction he’ll cement further when his debut album Tymbals drops next month on Acroplane.

Laica – Environmental Engineering
GRAB

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Revenant Environs (Revenant Sea remix)
bkclx-Laica-Environs-1.1.a (Black Classical remix)
Isomorphic Environs (Isomorphic remix)
The Pokk Environment (Pokk remix)
Mr Underwood’s Environment (MrUnderwood remix)
The Hime Environment (Pat Hime remix)