Review – Neutronic The Mutation Engine, Component Records 2001

Having loved the Corruption Time single by Neutronic I received from
component Records early in the year of 2001, I was initially surprised
by the lack of dance floor-ready tracks on this album. There are plenty
of catchy beats, but they are interrupted by distorted, sequenced mayhem
and nightmarish breakdowns. For example, the track The Laughing Academy,
which starts out with some spin-friendly heavy beats, ends sounding like the
soundtrack from that circus-freak dream you’ve been having. (It’s more
beautiful than it sounds.) The tracks on The Mutation Engine take you
on a road trip through a battle zone, and then drive away while you’re in a
gas station taking a leak. Bastards. Newcomers to the electronic scene might find this release to be a bit overwhelming, the powernoise flavor is not the mainstay on this
release, but it is heavy enough for me to caution those not already acclimated to
the taste. In all, a very intelligent and ambitious release that those
bored with the predictability of electronic “categories” will find refreshing
and challenging.

Punketta Doilie’s math lesson: Meat Beat Manifesto + ketamine + flying
insects = Neutronic

Information about Neutronic can be found on Component Records’ web
page:
http://www.mindstorm.com/component/index2.html