NCC
7 Steps of Nervousness
Gashed
Imagine a seamless landscape full of intricate sound sculptures, ambient atmospherics, and intense beats. Picture a sonic arena loaded with electronic bliss and surprises at every turn. Now turn imagination into reality with the newest release from NCC on Gashed Records! Seven Steps of Nervousness is the kind of stellar release you would expect to find on pulsating underground dance floors across the globe; keeping many EBM and electro addicts in synch.
The title track starts off as a slow paced ambient piece, slowly progressing into a beat driven freight train. After a brief movie sample, “ru486” brings about a series of heavy beats with stunning trance treatments alongside inventive vocals and a great groove. NCC are masters at the element of surprise, keeping the listener guessing at the endless musical possibilities that lay ahead. Each track evolves in ways that keep you glued to the speakers.
Programming and production on this disc are optimal, adding to the powerful delivery of the masterpieces within. The superb “Two Years From Now” is a vocal symphony showered with minimal electronics and space age bites. “Syntax” combines robotic vocal effects with trance-like textures and EBM beats, a recipe that NCC seem to have perfected. Not long afterwards, a serious sonic boom is exposed, proving that NCC know how to shake the soil. “In Place” uses space age sounds that place the imagination into orbit on the rings of Saturn. A slow-paced ambient gem that really plays well during a midnight drive on I-95! Then, we delve into the brilliant “Weiteck,” possibly the album’s premier track. Complete with female vocals, “Weiteck” shines with high energy rhythms and non-stop keyboard wizardry. The creative genius found here can not be stressed enough.
Overall, Seven Steps• plays very well, moving the listener from one solid musical interlude to the next without being predictable. This disc gets a five star rating on the electro meter!
