Once upon a time, the English techno duo LFO consisted of Mark Bell and Gez Varley. Their single LFO brought the ailing experimental WARP label out of the red and their debut Frequencies (1991), inspired by Detroit techno and electro funk, marked a new direction for British techno. After the follow-up Advance (1995), Varley left to pursue a solo career. Bell went on alone and produced Homogenic for
… Björk (1997) and Exciter for Depeche Mode (2001). It took until 2003 for Sheath to be released. On this CD, Bell continues his explorations of the twilight zone between electronic pop and hardcore techno, using raw beats that have been processed with razor-sharp electronic effects. Sometimes this falls out pretty heavy (Mum-man, Snot), while other times the listener is pleasantly surprised by an oasis of rippling beauty (Moistly, Sleepy Chicken). (AD)more
