In this regard, the "ep" is a wonderful thing. From the buyer's perspective, they are a cheap introduction to an artist's work. From the artist's perspective, it can be an opportunity to explore musical ideas not necessarily suited to album length, or to present their work as a refined taster of style. In the spirit of classic ep releases, The Foundry label has begun an ep series of short works by its artist roster.

Their first ep offering called Equilibrium by Ben Swire is something of a departure from the Foundry projects I've heard. Rather than the spacey experimentation of usual Foundry products, this is a trim release of atmospheric downtempo techno. According to press data, Swire has worked with Neotropic's Riz Maslen. The sound of this ep may not remind one of Neotropic's work, but the lush post-techno sounds are certainly on the same wavelength. Quiet, subtle atmospheres are propelled by echoed percussion, occasionally sounding like a slowed down drum 'n' bass. It's a good blend; a practiced equilibrium (sorry) between chilled ambient backdrop and suburban IDM.

Seemingly out of nowhere, a new genre of music has formed around the output of labels like Morr Music and City Centre Offices--music that is clearly inspired by classic ambient, Artificial Intelligence-era techno artists, and an understated indie DIY sensibility. Equilibrium is recorded in this quietly melancholy, yet cinematic, vein. However, the competition in this new "genre" (if it can truly be called that) is stiff--Equilibrium is an excellent ep release, making a very pleasant, subtle seventeen minute listening experience, but I feel that an album length release of music like this will not maintain the joyful intensity of recent work by Arovane or Ulrich Schnauss. At any rate, many of the practictioners of this genre choose to focus on Autechre inspired beat driven soundscapes. The beats on Equilibrium are prominent, but not the locus of the tracks. This work sits primarily on the ambient spectrum of sound, making it an easy companion to Boards of Canada's In a Beautiful Place Out in the Country ep and Miles Tilmann's criminally underrated Underland ep. I can imagine listeners more suited to the bassy rumblings of Biosphere's earlier work finding Equilibrium a much more satisfying listen than the often sugary content we've heard from Morr Music or Carpark records.

All in all, Equilibrium is a sign of good work to come from Swire, and an intriguingly unique addition to the Foundry's catalog. I'm anxious to see where he goes from here.