Berber Ox is David Rutledge: a Sydney based radio-producer who, according to the sparse information available, “makes music that crosses genres such as Experimental, Drone, Dark Ambient, Power Electronics and Post Industrial often in the same track.”
With a description like that, you at least you have some indication of what to expect when listening to “Limiter“. And that’s a good thing, because you’d better be prepared!
“Magnetic Assembly”, the opening track, seems to refer to vague shortwave-radio station calls … the repetitive kind of short notes indicating that the station is not broadcasting at that moment. It is a signal that is restful and alarming at the same time, especially since the background hissing sounds slowly start to increase.
But this opening track is relatively quiet compared to “Gamma Sponge”, which is nothing less than a massive soundstorm. Works best at high volumes (but is not exactly what one may call ‘ambient’)!
Next, it’s back to quiet, yet alienating landscapes in the distorted electronic field recordings of “Milky in the House”.
No time to slee, however, because strange voices chanting start to conjure another electric storm in the album’s title track. Another relatively quiet track, “Mother Eye” peacefully concludes this album.
If from this description you have the impression that “Limiter“ is mainly a Noise album: it’s not.
The two relatively loud tracks are both about seven minutes in length and they intersect three twelve minute tracks that are relatively “calm”.
True: this album is just much more dynamic and adventurous than a lot of contemporary ambient(/drone) albums, and David Rutledge obviously takes great care in creating new sounds, sounds that seem to reflect an alternate reality.
This is what makes this album stand out from the crowd: it’s different.
BERBER OX – MILKY IN THE HOUSE