Add N to (X)

In the current vogue of analog-worship, Add N to (X) are a breath of oxygen-enhanced air. With an overwhelming arsenal of vintage electronics, they sometimes create dreamy synthetic textures -- and more often, waveform assaults. Held together by crushing drum kit rhythms, these tracks are hypnotic in their fusion of solid cycles and total sonic confusion. To account for their unique approach, the band coined the term "Avant-Hard" as a nod to the electronic Avant-Garde composers who inspired them, from Wendy Carlos to Bruce Haack; however, they're hardly reverent toward inventors like Leon Theremin and Robert Moog. Add N to (X) are highly destructive, creating a cartoonish violence that's not far from Wendy Carlos paired with the ultraviolence of A Clockwork Orange. While they use "outdated" electronics, the sound is neither quaint nostalgia nor sci-fi futurism. Instead, this music sounds like an observation of and a commentary on technology's use in art and entertainment.