STS9: Ad Explorata
Brad Farberman on February 24, 2010
1320 Records
If STS9 is a jamband, the group certainly doesn’t play by jamband rules. Exhibit A: on Ad Explorata there is no jamming. There are, perhaps, improvised themes, but aren’t true solos or serious improvisations. Instead, it’s one minimalist melody after another – a decidedly different approach to jamband music – but one right in the electronic music tradition. As a quintet, STS9 has always sought to approximate the sweaty, futuristic bounce of electronica. But with Explorata, it’s more than an approximation; it’s the real thing. “Oil and Water” places purring synth lines and delayed electric piano on top of a hip-hop swagger. Two minutes in, “Crypto City” offers real emotional depth with a delicate and moody set of chords.
Artist: STS9
Album: Ad Explorata
