Simulation welcomes the glitch in swarms. A masterful collaboration with Polish artist Tineidae, Drifting In Silence steers ambient into a stark, industrial area with this release. The massive, smooth pads intertwine with deft, vibrant percussion to evoke the likes of Vangelis, Coil, and Aphex Twin in the same thought. Drifting In Silence and Tineidae gathers up these influences and launch them forward to generate an enchanting new territory of sound. The album centers around the concept of our world as a simulation, or—to go even deeper—than life is a simulation all the way down. It’s the intriguing subject of all sorts of science fiction, from Blade Runner to The Matrix. Just as we simulate our world through movies, video games, and virtual reality, someone or something may be doing the same to simulate our existence. In wrestling with this all too possible theory, one wonders whether life as a simulation is beautiful or terrifying, an impetus for total freedom or utter nihilism. The album shifts to and from dense, mechanical soundscapes as heard in “Simulation, Pt. 1” and “Simulation, Pt. 2” to more open, optimistic like in “Inflaton.” Keeping with the nature of its concept, Simulation is at times eerie and at other times a rapturous, limitless space for imagination. Throughout the sonic adventure... more