Cadlag are experts at manipulating their tools to create something much greater than the sum of their parts, weaving an ungodly tapestry that is unquestionably moving toward something, whatever that something is – more vertical descent than the horizon … For fans of dark ambient works with a decidedly sinister bent, Integral delivers the goods, and then some. Given the attention to analogue detail, Cadlag have created something that truly redefines this crowded genre.

Cadlag – Integral [Pharmafabrik Recordings – 2023]

Shrouded in some kind of Slovenian mystery, the collective known as Cadlag have produced a live performance that was recorded in an abandoned mine in their native land. Integral exists in two parts – one short excerpt, followed by a full take – that moves like slow-mounting eclipse of anything resembling light. The components sound a lot like the usual ingredients of dark ambience – processed electronics free from any vestige of rhythm, voice, or organic instrumentation. The result is all-encompassing and evil. Cadlag are experts at manipulating their tools to create something much greater than the sum of their parts, weaving an ungodly tapestry that is unquestionably moving toward something, whatever that something is – more vertical descent than the horizon
The feeling of moving, without resolution or recompense, is an impressive feat of Integral, for it happens through sheer accumulation and attenuation rather than propulsion. Claustrophobic, horror vacui, the adjectives feel a bit too agreeable for what is on offer. I have no direct experience with drowning, at least not the kind that extinguishes life, but this is all I could think of as the swell of darkness left no room to breathe. Each wave of sound building without respite or hope, until any notion of an outside was finally put to rest. If Integral had not been performed live in a haunted underground space, the music they created would have summoned one nonetheless. The direct, analogue nature of the production and recording process summon medial ghosts of their own, an appropriately haunted typology of sounds and textures.

For fans of dark ambient works with a decidedly sinister bent, Integral delivers the goods, and then some. Given the attention to analogue detail, Cadlag have created something that truly redefines this crowded genre, even as Integral borrows from its heritage of scary sounds.

LINK: https://www.musiquemachine.com/reviews/reviews_template.php?id=10172