Heterotic – Love & Devotion (ft. Gravenhurst)

A collaboration between Mu boss Mike Paradinas and his wife Lara Rix-Martin, Heterotic's instrumental tracks on their debut mini-album range from sublime, bass-textured future disco (Bliss) to edgy, paranoid neo-synth and dark ambient reminiscent of Raime (RoboCorp), to angular proto-dubstep gilt with faded synths (the fantastic closer Fanfare).

These tracks alone, and Paradinas' fame, would have made the duo worthy of note, but it's their achingly beautiful collaborations with alt.folk songwriter, Warp Records signee Gravenhurst, which elevate it to the realms of the essential. Blue Lights is melancholic but propulsive, with its four-four electro beat and New Order-esque lyrics, while Wartime is claustrophobic and sparse, almost funereal. Slumber, a hypnotic slice of post-dubstep with a sinister, sensual lyric from Gravenhurst (“Swimming with bad consciences, a history of hips and fingertips...”). An utterly compelling record, made even more appealing by its brevity. [Bram E. Gieben]