Review Summary: "This confession has meant nothing."
Japanese drum-and-bass producer Yu Asaeda, aka ENA, has spent the past few years mainly building off of his techno and DnB predecessors from the UK. It’s rather fitting that his latest LP is titled
Divided, because although it doesn’t mark some sort of metaphorical schism between him and his British compatriots, it does herald a plunge into the chasm of dark ambient music. Fortunately, with his newest album, ENA has managed to easily transition into a more versatile, murky style without a trace of tedium.
“1st Divided” and “2nd Divided” seem more focused on following up Asaeda’s previous works, with pulsating basslines and rhythmic clicking blending in alongside sinister, unsettling synths and crackling ambience. From there on, it branches off into a far more ominous, brooding style of dark ambience, with “3rd Divided” instantly establishing the rift in sound through muffled, snapping beats and a very distant, eerily disjointed synth melody. There’s a sense of looming tension pulsing through, but at the same time, it’s strangely entrancing. “5th Divided” is the best example of this; there are moments throughout its nine-minute timespan where all you can make out is remote, desolate pandemonium, only to suddenly throw in a jarring, chaotic blast of static noise out of the blue. Simultaneously, however, the song feels strikingly alluring, as the long periods of restlessness end up invoking a feeling of morbid curiosity. “8th Divided” closes the album on a gloomy note, with a faint, raspy drum beat conversing with what can only be described as sounds resembling water bubbles popping.
Divided succeeds most when it comes down to immersion and atmosphere. ENA’s winding, bleak electronic beats and raw, hollow production easily intertwine with one another, giving rise to an incredibly engaging experience. Despite its disjointed nature,
Divided never slips into pure mayhem, preferring instead to take minute, even paces towards the edge of Asaeda’s sanity, just up until the cord is about to snap. So, the next time you decide to flay the skin off your fingertips and wander about in a state of delirium bordering on a bastardized Salvador Dali painting, make sure
Divided is your playlist. Then again, you could just listen to it while cleaning up the place or chilling out on the couch, but what would be the fun in that?
