Although they had previously released material through Hypercolour and R&S, respectively, J. Wiltshire and Josh Thompson (Alma Construct) would not cross paths, at least in terms of record publishing, until 2016, when the first reference of their own shared label, Super Hexagon Records (until then a collective of event promoters), came out. An EP comprising four tracks, two by each, SH001 already revealed an accentuated predilection on both sides for rhythmic patterns derived from post-Drexciyan electro/techno, insufflated with irregularities closer to IDM experimentation, and for a melodic density reminiscent of the analog acid sound championed by Richard D. James as AFX, Dave Monolith, and other Rephlex epigones. This dialogue between rhythmic familiarity and timbral and melodic boldness, which expands into various nodes of the hardcore continuum, is where Wiltshire’s DJ sets reside. These unhurriedly unfold, favoring the long mix, in an eagerness to progressively and constantly increase the overall intensity of the discourse.

Thompson, for his part, consolidated his compositional skills by adopting a new pseudonym, FFT, in 2017. fft1, published through Uncertainty Principle, shows an affinity for the rhythmic glitch of Frank Bretschneider, Olaf Bender and Alva Noto –which here sublimates the defining bleep sound of Warp’s lilac maxi singles–, the spasmodic and dancing abstraction of Bitstream and Jodey Kendrick, and the aseptic digitality of extreme frequencies of Ryoji Ikeda or Aleksi Perälä. In-side (Super Hexagon, 2019) and Regional/Loss (The Trilogy Tapes, 2019) constitute additional explorations of teleological structures, far removed from the rigidity of the loop, applied to this new aesthetic, as well as a restoration and expansion of the melodic resources previously found in the music of Alma Construct. Both references, in their manifest commitment to renew past music through an unusual level of compositional detail, elevate Thompson as one of today’s most prominent sound architects.

Poster by Koln Studio.