CD, Alrealon, 2010
simultaneity.blogspot.com
Dominic Glynn is hardly a newcomer to the music world – having released material under a variety of names in an equally varied range of electronic styles as well as working on movie and television soundtracks – with “Duality” being his second release as FluiD after a ten-year hiatus.
As a whole, this album shows a musician comfortable with his influences and quite well versed in several electronic music genres, to the point that he can hop between them and mesh them together effortlessly. Mentioning classic acts such as Massive Attack, Dälek and Scorn as reference points is inevitable (even disregarding the press release) as, under the all-encompassing umbrella term of ‘industrial’, the listener is treated to a smörgåsbord of dub, hip-hop breaks, rhythmic noise, and brooding guitar riffs on a background of foreboding darkness.
And yet, despite the pervasive apprehensive mood, “Duality” lacks an edge, that ‘something’ which grabs the listener by the gut and twists them for good effect (the same thing which makes acts like Dälek or Le Diktat instant ear-grabbers). To the listener’s frustration, this elusive beast can be felt waiting on the edge of every track but is held back and never reveals itself – resulting in the listener’s attention drifting away with some frequency. Tracks with vocals, “Iron Communique” and “Disrupting the Ghost”, almost evade this by providing the listener with an additional focus point and easily become the stand-out tracks.
In the end, though clearly the work of a skilled musician/producer who knows his influences inside-out and a technically competent release, “Duality” is not without its flaws, the biggest of which is a certain lack of personality. Something to consider working on when preparing new material, perhaps…
[7.5/10]
— Miguel de Sousa