New Ways: Music from the Documentary I Dream of Wires

The 2013 independent documentary I Dream of Wires skillfully chronicled the history of the modular synthesizer, its place in the foundations of electronic music, and the ways in which it receded from and returned to prominence in the culture surrounding techno, IDM, and other forms of experimental electronic music. The film was the brainchild of Canadian producer Jason Amm, who had already put in well over a decade of work under the Solvent moniker, as well as releasing music on his Suction label. New Ways: Music from the Documentary I Dream of Wires collects the soundtrack to his documentary, scored completely by Amm on the very modular synthesizer units the film explores in depth. Though technically the sixth Solvent full-length, this collection of 12 tracks serves more as a demonstration of the complexity and diversity of various facets of modular synths than it does a proper album. The electro-leaning beats of tracks like "Transfer Function" and "Burn the Tables" swing wide to more abstract fields of noise like "Sender." The soundtrack reaches its apex with the majestic and upbeat electronica of "King Vincent," an airy and straightforward slice of Kraftwerk-recalling melodic pop that highlights how versatile the machines in Amm's documentary can get. ~ Fred Thomas