Impressive debut of experimental techno and bittersweet IDM by Coralie lending a smart start to Mike Smaczylo (Half Edge) and Alex Egan’s Quoth department of Utter

As the label’s titular nod to AFX implies, and as ‘Barney’s Maze’ sets out, this is proper electronica for the ‘floor in a classic model of prism-pushing UK traditions since the ‘90s. The balance of elements, ranging from eerily eldritch pastoral arps and pads to more bloody-minded, ruggeder dance impulses and haunted chorales crosses lines with everything from offroad Coil experiments to Pub’s early works and of course the Rephlex braindance lot or Warp’s golden era, with a subtly distinctive voice and effect that makes it worthy of your time.

‘For Money’ toys with a sort of hypnotic high plains drifter techno style that echoes Offen Music’s exploits in this arena, while ‘Undu’ pitch-bends and emulsifies melancholic chord progressions on an electro slant set somewhere between Pub, Plaid and Autechre. The glitching ELpH-ish choraloid and sidewinding offbeat of ‘Schlimmbesserung’ best recalls Coil’s rhythm driven club fantasies, and the EP’s title tune finds a rare devil in the detail of its whirring trills and icicle-played arpeggios like Plaid gone down the rabbit hole.