Constant State was launched with a series of artistic yet vaguely unnerving videos that reminded me of some of the creepy shit that you can find scraping the sides of YouTube with random search strings. But rather than a video diary for a pair of thrill killers on the road, it’s… a record label, and judging by the debut release, one to keep an eye on.
Al Gobi is not a man but a pair of men, Ian Blevins & Phil Moody. Three tracks and a remix here, starting with “Cup of Tea”, which has the epic reach and intonation I was expecting for from a label that announced itself in such a fashion. Cottam’s remix sounds like some kind of mental techno overdubbed with samples from the more ethnic, sublime elements from Peter Gabriel’s soundtrack for The Last Temptation of Christ. The moment at 2:00 when the 303 starts its tantrum and goes aggro is sublime. The title track is a paleo-futurist jam with pounded piano chords and bottle percussion. This is a record that’s going to stay with me for awhile.
