Formless

Engineer/mixmaster Shane Newville is understandably proud of having won the Mackey scholarship which allowed him to attend the renowned SAE Institute, one of the leading audio schools in the nation. Formless, his debut album, may (or may not) have acted as his application, but it certainly aims to impress, with the set putting Newville through all his paces. Each track beautifully showcases his grasp of technology and technique, while also highlighting his rhythmic, sampling, sequencing, programming, and musical skills, as well as drawing attention to his influences. In fact, "Unseen Supernatural War" is an aural essay on the latter, ostensibly themed around the battle between good and evil, but in actuality a soundclash between the Chemical Brothers and Prodigy, perfectly pitting the techno heroes' signature styles against each other. It ends in a classic stalemate, but Liam Howlett's eventual triumph is evident in the Prodigy references that seep through the set. The propulsive, big, bassy beats that swept his group to international stardom storm in and out of Formless, notably on the blistering "Roll Out" and the trippy "Samurai Showdown," while the experimental "Kickflip" features keyboards that occasionally slide into the toytown type first employed by Howlett. Crystal Method get their due in between the synth stabs and hyper-drive beats of "Evil Ninja Guys," while Moby receives a tip of the hat in the big swirly ambience of "Beautiful and Perfect." Even so, Formless is only partially an homage to electro stars of yore, for Newville has plenty of ideas of his own. The energy that infuses the trip-hop "Apartment Break 3000" is a case in point, like a coiled snake ready to strike. Equally impressive is the compulsive rhythm and superb mix of samples that power "Rabbit Funk," its dark funk far removed from the flashier style that swaggers across "Scooper Truck," or the more sensual one that sinuously twines around "Cold Round Disc."

Ranging from ambient soundscapes to flat-out dancefloor rave-ups, Formless is true to its title. But on the flipside, the set lacks a coherent center and at times any sense of flow. Syntax Records may have jumped the gun in their enthusiasm releasing the album demo as was. And while all the tracks are flawless, further editing and a sharper ear to set sequencing could have turned this CD from a phenomenal studio exercise into an album equal to Newville's superstar predecessors.