Beyond being a guitar virtuoso who brought projects like Northless and Bad Grades to the next level, a skilled composer who has provided the score to a variety of film projects, and a sound engineer who has probably been behind the board for many of your favorite X-Ray Arcade shows, Nicholas Elert is also an accomplished experimental electronic musician.
Over the last seven years, Elert has managed an impressive body of synth-laden solo work and remixes under his own name. On November 28, Elert’s sonic exploration will continue under the Phase Machines moniker, which takes its name from the closing track off his 2019 album, Speculative Fiction. While the name is a callback, he’s covering new ground altogether on his first release.
That release, the self-titled Phase Machines, features three expansive songs. Over the span of nearly 21 minutes, Elert leads listeners on an exploration of a sub-genre that’s been described as “doom dub.” Opening track “Expel” is pounding and primal at its outset before swelling into a cacophony of vibrant, otherworldly production. “Steeped” takes a decidedly darker and more down-tempo form, which flows into “Respire.” That album-ending track is equally dour at its outset, but builds into a dissonant symphony of synthetic instrumentation that blurs the line between ambient and industrial.
Thanks to Triple Eye Industries, Phase Machines will be released physically in the form of a 12-inch lathe cut record that’s limited to just 26 copies. Only 17 of those will be available to the general public and they’re currently available for pre-order on Bandcamp. Any remaining after the pre-order period can be purchased at Rushmor Records beginning this Black Friday.
