This will be the last release on Modeselektor’s 50WEAPONS label, and it’s fair to say they and Benjamin Damage are going out on a high. Damage’s third album is his most personal yet, a collection of memories that works itself into an album really effectively. Beats range between more standard techno offerings to more intricate breaks and dubstep-like material, and this keeps the rhythmic energy high, even when Damage is pulling back to give us lush, sweeping keyboards or surrounding electronics. When he needs to Damage steps on the gas impressively, with ‘Transmission’, and ‘Cosmonaut’ packing an impressive four to the floor punch, while ‘HRM TX’ pulls right back into woolly ambience before letting itself go. The fact Benjamin Damage is equally effective when holding back means the album has a really good ebb and flow, and it means ‘Obsidian’ is definitely his best yet, and sure to be one of the instrumental techno records of the year.
5 out of 5
Reviewed by Ben Hogwood
{http://soundcloud.com/experimedia/benjamin-damage-obsidian}
