“Calm Under Pressure” by ASC

James Clements is certainly no stranger to making intensely intricate electronic music. A quick perusal of the Bandcamp page for his ASC moniker reveals no shortage of releases that dive headlong into highly atmospheric jungle and drum n’ bass that’s noteworthy for both its ambience and its mind-bending breakbeats. (Suffice to say, releases like Mind Over Matter and Shifting Realities have featured prominently in my coding session soundtracks.)

But for the Sigma Detection EP, Clements eschews the breakbeats and other jungle-isms for something rawer, more stripped down, and more menacing. Evoking Locust’s earliest works (e.g., 1994’s Weathered Well), “Calm Under Pressure” sends subterranean bass pulses thudding into your eardrums while ominous synths groan and gasp around you in a dark cyber-equivalent of Robert Rich’s primordial “glurp.” I suppose you could call it rave music, but only for those raves found in the darkest, seediest corners of the Sprawl.

Sigma Detection is the first release from Polish label FOMO_, and according to the label, is intended to “redefine musical experience through immersive, high-intensity sound.” There’s certainly something immersive about “Calm Under Pressure” and the rest of the EP, but it’s a harrowing experience you might not survive.