Satori - Kanashibari

Way back when we were publishing the first printed issues of Compulsion, Satori were active in the post-industrial cassette milieu. Now revived, Satori are represented by Neil Chaney, once a member of Pessary, another act who existed on the peripheries of the late 80's post-industrial underground, while Justin Mitchell has presided over the running of Cold Spring, the UK's premier label for dark ambient and related releases for a similar number of years. Kanashibari, an expanded CD issue of 2007's Japanese vinyl release, is the first full length release from Satori in quite a number of years.

Each track here resonates with constantly merging and unraveling ominous drones, while dense washes of synths and short bursts of frequency lend it an ambience that is claustrophobic and unsettling. Kanashibari is centred around the theme of sleep paralysis. That may account for the muffled garbling of treated voices that pervade the deeply unsettling multi-layered drones of Kanashibari.

Even on the likes of 'Unseen Force', 'Entity' and 'Paralysis' where rhythms pound and frequencies scurry above the dense layers of sound it retains a muted feel. The complete lack of flashpoints on Kanashibari allows you to wallow in its gloomy arrangements of drones and half-lit sinister intrusions as it draws on your inner anxieties.

Much of Kanashibari appears rooted in the deepest of dark ambient, or what Satori call Fortean electronics. Only the closing title track that shifts from arching atmo-drones to a more forthright rhythmic sound breaks the mould. Kanashibari is something of a slow burner but look beyond the need for instant hits and you'll find something strangely disturbing. For more information go to www.coldspring.co.uk