Alistair Wells is a producer whose current work is synonymous with a kind of benevolent intensity: he excels at sculpting tonally rich and percussively complex tracks that seem to both enlighten and confront. Under his most well known alias as Perc, he has established a deep roster on his PercTrax label to carry out a similar-minded program, and has built up a formidable arsenal of EPs and singles in the wake of enigmatic LPs like 2011’s Wicker & Steel. His ‘eclectic-yet- disciplined’ methodology has also made him an integral component of the always-evolving Stroboscopic Artefacts organism, being involved early on with the label’s Monad series and participating in every possible capacity from production partner to remixer to solo artist. His latest contribution, Ma, is a fascinating new EP that showcases his talent for testing the limits of perception.
The ominously titled opener “Death of Rebirth” – a title hinting at some form of hellish repetition – starts things off with a sense of dark premonition. Yet, in signature Perc style, that aura of uneasiness beckons listeners to explore further rather than to flee from it: in this context, the reliable 4/4 kick drum throb is the only means of orienting oneself or angling through a glassy and metallic labyrinth where foreign objects conspire to... more