Maelstrom - ALPH4 (2018)

Joan-Mael Péneau aka Maelstrom is best known for his releases on Hacker’s Zone imprint, but it was only a matter of time before his work appeared on CPU. This mini-album veers in style from the melodic, reflective title track to the frenetic, dense drums and high pitched bleeps of “Letter From M”. On “Lost Echoes”, he recruits the like-minded Djedjotronic for a slowed down ride through contemporary electro, while on “Vznietit”, the French producer combines layers of heavy acid with a pumping, dark bass. With a nod to CPU’s own love of the bleep techno and Autechre electronics from its Sheffield hometown, Maelstrom rounds off this impressive EP with “Dialectics” and “Praxis” respectively.