Plaster (Gianclaudio Hashem Moniri and Giuseppe Carlini) have previously supported Alva Noto, Ryoji Ikeda and Frank Bretschneider, clearly influences on the Rome-based duo. Platforms, their second album, stands up well alongside Raster Noton releases, their gritty refined hiss, clicks and subbass thumps most closely reminiscent of Raster Noton regular Senking.
Opener ‘Parallel Segment’ introduces their lexicon with a minute of grit and reverb before segueing into ‘Component’, a structured series of tics, sluggish EBM beats and distorted fuzz. This represents the weaker ‘beats’ half of the Plaster sound, contrasted with the more amorphous abstraction of pieces like ‘Iperstatic’ and ‘Rearline’. Fortunately there’s more of the latter, ‘Intersection’ laying bright panning tones over picked guitar fragments, and ‘Double Connection’ immersing icy synth squelch in dense echo, all Senking-like. Platform might not pack quite the punch as Pong or List does, but it’s strong enough to warrant a proper listen.
Joshua Meggitt
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