Null, KK + Cris X – “Proto Planet” – [CX Records]

Louie Caliente   4/3/2016   A Library, CD

Brutal experimental electronics from Japanese multi-instrumentalist Kazuyuki Kishino (aka KK Null) and Italian visual and sound artist Christiano Luciana (aka Chris X).

Crunchy grinding beats reverberate in your skull, while a tornado of circuit-bent toys bleep and bloop at a fervent pace over a bed of dark and gloomy synths. Static rain and percussive hail pound the roof of your car, as you race through the Tokyo night, unable to escape the fleet of black helicopters drawing ever nearer, ever louder.

Occasional analog sounds are used to great effect, often accompanied by electronic imitations. Field recordings of bird sanctuaries, croaking frogs, echoing footsteps, and varied aquatic sounds, including a serene babbling brook and what sounds like a microphone in a shower drain.

Track 2 features Yoko Higashi, providing vocals that range from whispers and croaks to haunted banshee wails.