There is a tunnel. And there is light at the end of it. Or is it the Black Hole when Emptyset takes us to the world of shades? Starting with hardly audible hum “Aleph”, the A-side is filled with evil growling of machines that accelerate slowly – pitching 33 RPM record up would help those who are in need of more speed. And am I the only one to perceive in “Gate 1” fragments from “Flash” by Fix and “Sharevari” by A Number of Names?
“Beyond” is less depressed but still keeps the tensions alive with hypnotising determination. C1 or “Completely Gone” is of different type and would fit into any techno set while sticking to the dark atmosphere of the album. The next, “Beyond 2”, hits like Ancient Methods with lazy-paced but hard techno. The end is reached with heavyweight compositions relying on distortions and effects that remind of Pan Sonic and John Carpenter.
Emptyset is a duo consisting of Paul Purgas and James Ginzburg, the latter being the founder of the label Vertical Sound and co-founder of pioneering dubstep label Tectonic. Not bad fellows at all who have done not a bad album.
Note: The album was reissued on Subtext in August 2015
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