Search - Instrumental :: Acoustek

Instrumental are a British sextet of hip, classically trained string musicians who have recorded with electronica acts like the Orb and jammed onstage with junglist crews. On Acoustek they serve up "classical" remixes of well-known techno standards--a potentially cheesy project that is more than redeemed by the group's playful intelligence and gutsy feel for the music. Briskly performed and well-crafted arrangements of tunes like Orbital's "Forever," the Orb's "Little Fluffy Clouds" and Moby's "Hymn" do more than just highlight the interwoven patterns and haunting melodies that techno often slips behind its pounding beats; they also expose the debt this music owes to the phasing pulses of minimalists like Steve Reich, Terry Riley, and Philip Glass. Though Instrumental relies too much on plucked double bass to carry the beat, they often do an inspired job of translating dance rhythms into the more languid language of strings. --Erik Davis