Lee Gamble: Exhaust | 4ZZZ Brisbane 102.1FM

- Emerging from Britain's club scene at last decade's turn, Lee Gamble has proven himself an artist in constant transition. Early explorations on Berlin's avant-electronic label PAN showed rare aesthetic confidence as Lee moulded lost jungle and techno into atmospheric collage, preserving genre roots within a sound all his own. Now on Hyperdub, Gamble's mid-way through a sonic trilogy entitled Flush Real Pharynx, exploring the pervasive nature of capitalism within culture.

Things kicked off earlier this year with In A Paraventral Scale, pairing samples of luxury cars with airbrushed synths to set the tone. The EP was a leap forward for Gamble's world-building talents, bringing the scattered vision of 2017's Mnestic Pressure into glossy focus. I was lucky enough to see Lee perform Flush Real Pharynx in its entirety, and at the time it struck me as his most complete work yet. Paraventral Scale set the stage, but Exhaust sees Lee's high-minded concept take flight.

Chimes of broken glass meet explosive sirens on opener CREAM, Blade Runner-esque vocal samples forming a surreal haze. The swathes of sounds used form an impressively consistent palette as Gamble pulls disparate styles into his orbit. Post-modern blends of influence are nothing new in the 'deconstructed club' movement, but it's Lee's aesthetic expertise that elevates Pharynx above its contemporaries. Envenom capitalises on its predecessor's lush tension by darting, parkour style, through sculpted rhythms of jungle, broken beat, and malfunctioning techno. Smoothing Lee's stylistic detours are recurring synthesiser patterns, their timbre fine-tuned to be distinctive no matter the context.

I found Paraventral Scale a somewhat underwhelming start to the trilogy that seemed overly obsessed with honing a specific sound. Only now does its purpose become clear, as Exhaust operates within this foundation to craft an airtight set of futuristic bangers ripe for 2030's dystopic club scene. Stripped back cut Naja revels in distorting the tempo of thumping hip-hop rhythms as echoing keys take hi-hat's place. Dreamy vocal clips recall energy drink advertising before a wall of twisted synths bring cinematic climax. Later on, Gamble tries his hand at classic dubstep with Switches. It's clear Digital Mystikz worship in the best way possible; haunted melodies juxtapose punchy kick patterns as barking dogs and subterranean shots of noise embellish the rhythm.

Not a single track here feels out of place, an impressive feat considering the musical ground covered. I'll draw comparisons to Miles Whittaker's Demdike Stare project; across the decade they've transitioned from heavily textured dark ambient and dub techno to making some of best genre-mashing club music of the last ten years. Both artists' initial focus was on atmospheric sound design, bringing a sonic identity to their dance music that's unmatched by most contemporaries.

It's these talents, along with his fascinating array of influences, that make Lee Gamble one of experimental electronic's most exciting artists right now. Even amongst this set of dancefloor slappers, his approach never feels restricted. Closing track Saccades brings Exhaust to a heady close with decelerating shards of breakcore matched by warped vocals and patches of harmonic bliss. It's a perfect comedown to an adrenaline fuelled rush that recalls '90's jungle and free improv in almost equal parts. Flush Real Pharynx mightn't be complete yet, but Exhaust has busted open the possibilities for what the triptych's finale might hold.

- Boddhi Farmer.
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