Blanck Mass @ Glasgow School of Art, 18 March

Live Review by Timothy McQuillian | 26 Mar 2012

Promising strong experimental never-before-showcased material for his Art School performance, Konx-om-Pax's Tom Scholefield showcases his bizarre multi-coloured electronic universe. Though hardly living up to the underrated VHS vibes of his secret gem Light in Extension (the press tending to ignore his music in favour of his high profile visual art), his set is a welcome slab of varied harsh static, matching crunchy blasts of sound with breaks of chilling ambient loops.

Similarly, the content of Benjamin John Power aka Blanck Mass's set feels wholly new, only borrowing snippets from last year's stellar eponymous album on Rock Action, rather than putting any strict focus on it. Instead, his time on stage is mainly spent executing improvised or unreleased material, creating an atmosphere of undivided attention and excitement.

Some devotees in the crowd literally lay flat on their backs, and allow themselves to be consumed by these new sonic adventures. His forging of unexpected techno signifiers with planet-sized electrical bass pulses has more in common with the glitch/noise mixtape he compiled for FACT magazine than his revered studio album. If tonight's any measure to go by, whatever new material he has planned could herald a harder and more intense stylistic change and if the unforgettable venue-shaking 'Karl Hyde meets Tim Hecker' noise-techno closer is any clue, Power's next album could rip galaxies apart.

http://www.blanckmass.bandcamp.com