Pier Bucci: Chiloe
Crosstown Rebels

Though Pier Bucci has worked with Luciano and Dandy Jack, it's Crosstown Rebels releases like the 2005 full-length Familia that have elevated his profile within electronic music circles. The half-hour EP, Chiloe, perpetuates Bucci's atmospheric style with four new tracks of varying quality. Boosted by a dramatically rising theme, “Horizont,” the strongest piece, fulminates from the get-go and, once on its way, works fragmented female vocals, android voices, and chiming synths into its tight groove. The atmospheric title track, an hypnotic excursion into Chain Reaction-styled dub-techno, impresses, and do does “Shekinah,” in part because hand claps and throbbing bass lines give the song the kind of dance feel one might expect from the Chilean producer—the subtle guitar lines are an elegant touch too. Only the light-footed “Glasgow” disappoints by concentrating too heavily on brooding atmosphere rather than compositional development; though its rich sound design of organ tones, fluttering glitches, and punctuating crashes holds one's attention, the eight-minute track meanders a little too much and lacks drama.

October 2007