Unknown Path - Weathered Peak (2021)

The first excursion for ASC's Unknown Path project since 2017's Pathfinder, Weathered Peak continues in much the same vein. Tribalistic submerged electronics vaguely reminding of techno, dub techno, all with a grey area time signature to unify the theme. Part 1 starts out with dubbed percussive elements and a sense of urgency, before Part 2 strips back all of that sense and slows it down to a dissolving soundscape of subtle tones and white noise, which bass stabs reinforce the backbone. Part 3 picks it up once again, before switching up tempos to introduce a forlorn cold melody to surround you. On the flip side, Part 4 steps up the murky percussion to another level, while a sense of dread is filtered with distortion. Part 5 serves as a linking tunnel to more percussive bleakness for the tape's finale. Part 6 steps up the urgency once again with its clattering conga hits and scattered bongo patterns, before it all comes to an end with messages seemingly trying to burst through the ether of white noise.