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Sounds like: Aphex Twin, Autechre

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What’s so good?
So is he or isn’t he? I’ve found it generally bothersome that Jase Rex’s curious moniker seems to demand that reviewers and promoters passionately proclaim that, in fact (and often in less-than-clever wordplay), he is NOT merely another electronic musician. Perhaps then, it’s just been out of spite that I’ve never found Another Electronic Musician (or AEM) to be particularly exceptional. But his newest album, States of Space, has got me wondering if I’ve been wrong about Rex the entire time.

Rex’s IDM certainly isn’t for everyone, or even most. There are smatterings of house beats, and plenty of techno influence to go around, but happily this album features no bedroom recreations of Justice or Chromeo, probably to the chagrin of most Hype Machine followers. Instead, AEM is primarily artsy, he doesn’t get as weird or wild as Autechre or Aphex Twin, but his music does seem to be out of love for the beauty and emotion it can evoke.

I suppose AEM could still be considered a laptop producer, but his music is definitely a cut above the rest of the wannabes slicing up beats on Ableton or FL Studios. He plays with a host genres, getting dancey here, ambient there, and downright glitchy at other times. When he plays with house and techno I wish he would drop the beat just a little harder, and when he gets spacey–and he frequently does, note the title of the album–I can’t help but yearn for something just a touch more groundbreaking.

Overall this album is terrific and a must-listen for any IDM fan. For those partial to the booty grooving hits I still recommend this album; it is especially great for IDM newcomers because it avoids most of the experimenting and difficulty associated with this type of electronica. I suppose this is the part of review where I write a pun on AEM’s name, but instead I’ll just encourage you to listen to this album and come up with your own.

Elsewhere on the web:
myspace | myspace.com/anotherelectronicmusician