Unexplained Sounds Group - 3.0

 Released: May 15

So I had not heard of the Unexplained Sounds Group label before I was sent this lovely little compilation, but I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed what I heard here. It’s a lovely collection of tracks that all have a nice techno-futuristic vibe to them, although each one manifests that vibe in a slightly different way. Some are definitely a bit darker than others with few veering more into the upbeat ambient chillout variety and other coming across as nearly dystopian sounding. The opener, “Regan and friends (the rematch),” starts things off with a dark tones and some sparse highlights, plus some creative voice work on it that is weird and creative while also bing kind of subtle. But on the other end, there’s the later track “Theta Flow,” that taps into that kind of new-age-ish tone having some semi-meditative qualities. But it really has a neat uplifting feel to it with bright arpeggios and a relaxed rhythm that has some really well-processed drums. 

Aside from the darker or brighter tones, we also get some stuff that just veers into very experimental and un-categorizable territory like “Glider Gun.” There’s some rhythm there, and some tones, but the track as a whole defies any kind of conventions that would make it familiar. It’s an intriguing listen though, what with all the subtle little layers and the slow, winding vibe it gives off. “Madge” a similar vibe although the pace is increased and the integration of some acid synth bass is unmistakable. Just kind of a slurry of wild sounds mashed together in a brain spinning way that is an another fun listen. 

I think what I appreciate the most here is just the wild variety of sounds squeezed together here. It definitely feels like each artist went out of their way to make sure what they were putting on here was uniquely theirs. For me personally, I really enjoyed the more chaotic sound-mashing approaches shown by Tescon Pol, Latchwork, and Black Ant. That said, the more grounded tracks provided a very nice juxtaposition that helped hold things together as a compilation.