CD, Thisco, 2007
www.thisco.net
“Drafts and Crafts” is the fourth full-length Sci Fi Industries release from the Portuguese Thisco label, and follows “The Air Cutter,” an album released two years ago. It also works as somewhat of a mark for the project’s ten years in action.
Clocking at an impressive 78 minutes, the content of the disc can be divided into eight tracks of original Sci Fi Industries material and eight remixes, procured from a stunning array of artists in the rhythmic noise and industrial scenes.
The new pieces consist of some clearly electronic syntheses that radiate a thoroughly alien and experimental vibe, making no effort whatsoever for warm ambiences or anything that could infuse a hint of humanity to soften up both the tracks themselves and those cold, scientific hearts of ours. Instead the tracks sport a rich and layered, low-tech electronic sound reminiscent of old-school glitch electronics and EBM, right down to the production values of the record. At times it feels as if the disc warped in from sometime during the golden 80’s-90’s era of aggressive electronics, yet it remains uniquely entertaining.
The remixes are almost a separate entity within the disc, each of them infusing the Sci Fi Industries originals with the remixing artists’ unique flavors, resulting in some very interesting and hard-hitting fusions of styles and sounds, and almost justifying the release of the disc on their own merit.
The album in its entirety is a very powerful and energetic work, housing immense aggression in its sound without succumbing to the rigid cliché of obligatory harshness in the genre. Sci Fi Industries manages to make cold look cool (pun intended) instead of forced with this release, and for that feat alone it’s worth a thorough listen.
[8.5/10]
— George Mouratidis