F: From Here We Go Sublime, by The Field

From the first icy cool bass drum and oxygen deprived vocal snippet that graces From Here We Go Sublime, it’s clear that minimalism is at play here. I’m going to take that a step further and be honest: minimalism in house, (tech-house, whatever) in and of itself, is flat out boring. Electronic dance music was made for ecstatic moments. So when close to the 2:00 mark during this record, a weird vocal breakdown plus wave-em-like-you-just-don’t-care synth starts pumping, it’s damn near perfect. You have the backbone of minimal house, with its well sculpted drums and the flamboyance of regular old dance music in all its neon glory.

The Field is one Axel Willner, a man I wouldn’t know from any other at your local American Apparel store (serious, look up at that dude’s picture), but it’s obvious he’s cribbed some notes from melancholy pop music over the last 40 or so years. Not in a while have I heard a vocal-less album that’s so lyrical. If fact, the repetition of the tracks prove to be the best thing going, pushing (not pounding) the sunwashed melodies into your head. There’s one influence in My Bloody Valentine that has only been nodded at in his composition, not blatantly ripped off like so many other guitar-based bands. The Field does Sheilds and co. justice by convoluting comforting melody in unique and off-kilter ways forcing you to pay attention yet still find it familiar.

Between Willner and Gui Borrato’s Chromophobia minimal house producers are finally realizing that tech-house doesn’t have to undermine melody, structure and composition and relegate itself to the background of the lounge part of some megaclub. To paraphrase Brian Eno, this has the potential to be background music, but you’ll find yourself unable to not pay attention. And if you still aren’t, there’s no way that during the ear-splitting moment halfway into “The Deal” you won’t start shaking your legs and nodding your head crazy like. Shit, the first time I listened to this I think confetti exploded out of my ears.