Thee Koukouvaya: Ancient Race of Techno-Voyagers

At first it looks like John O'Hara and Brian Wenckebach go for a harsh post-industrial sound on Ancient Race of Techno-Voyagers, the new album of their Thee Koukouvaya project. They kick off with a couple of static heavy compositions - We Walked Out Of Mexico Loaded and, Suspicion Breeds Confidence - before slowing down a bit The Modern Beige. Listeners who have made this far will be surprised that the album switches to a far more gentle mood in an Eighties kind of way, with tracks like Planetary Archive, and the full-on ambient excursions during Nauplia and Aged Into Conformity. That's when the duo's love for analog synths comes to the fore in all its glory.

Ancient Race of Techno-Voyagers is a litmus test for avant-garde post-dance fans, taking cues from Krautrock, Dead Can Dance and minimalist pioneers such as Terry Riley. Cutting edge, inspired electronic music, bridging the gap between 20st century classical music and current left-field dance. Start with the accessible Limbic Crisis For Sparkle And Foam and Margaritas By The Pool before going in at the deep end.