One record at a time: 160. The Grid - One Way Traffic

The Moog Sound Lab was a large mobile studio that also operated as a record label. The lab was equipped with various Moog synthesizers and made available to recording artists by invitation. The Grid were the first to use the new facility in 2015 and "One Way Traffic" is the result of that session.

As these sessions were rather short, they tend to produce improvised pieces rather than be used to record in a more conventional way.  

I'll be upfront and say I'm not a fan of improvised music. Improvisation equates to either extreme repetition or droning nonsense, and this album contains plenty of both. It's not only the quality of the music that annoys me, but it also irks me that the music cannot be replicated.

I have been tinkering with keyboards and synthesisers since I was a child and my dream was always to own an instrument or system that offered total recall. I always longed for the ability to pull up a track in exactly the same form as it was recorded and for it to be fully editable. For whatever reason, the idea of music being unrepeatable is an anathema to me. The fact that improvised music is also dull and often repetitive seals the deal.

The title track that starts the LP is an edited version of the 26 minute behemoth that features on the digital release. Whilst the repeating sequence is pleasing for the first four minutes it gets a bit grating as times go on. There is some progression and manipulation of the synths but nothing to justify the run time. "Test One" is just a minute of noise and "Distrubia" is a faintly intimidating ambient piece that end side one.

"Goldenfilter" is the first track that sounds like consideration was given to structure and variation. There are some really interesting rhythms and sounds on this track that make it the standout. "ECG" and "DPM" are more abstract and experimental and don't hold my interest. 1/5