High Alpine Hut Network: 727 / 16

Ansible Editions is an imprint out of Toronto, devoted to some of the boundary-breaking music crafted in that fertile scene. This EP-length release is one of its initial offerings, and it's an exciting one. Despite its short run-time of just twenty minutes, the album packs quite a punch, with an appealing amalgam of styles ranging from jazz fusion to dubstep, and with music that is constantly in motion, presented in a spirit of restless exploration.

Led by multi-instrumentalists Christopher Shannon and Benjamin Pullia, High Alpine Hut Network comprises a host of musicians, most of whom double on percussion to fill out a sound that is more than the sum of its parts. The first portion of "727" suggests a heavy debt to Miles Davis' early-70s period, with guitarist Tobin Hopwood's fuzzed-out squeals evoking John McLaughlin's frenzied contributions to Live-Evil (Columbia, 1971). But the group branches out well beyond that mode, transitioning briefly to a more jazz-inflected vein midway through the track, helped in large part by tenor saxophonist Joseph Shabason, whose involvement throughout the album is crucial to its success. Another funk- based segment ensues, followed by a dub section that would make Lee "Scratch" Perry proud. The music refuses to get bogged down, and its energy throughout is propulsive.

The second track, "16," may be even better. It's certainly a grittier cut, with a tough funk groove established by Shannon and Hopwood and some terrific keyboard and percussion work to augment it. The track doesn't cover as much stylistic ground as "727," but it's so well played that it's easy to be swept away by its aggressive layers of sound. Drummer Jason Bhattacharya is especially strong here, with ferocious fills that pave the way for Shabason's tempestuous entry toward the end of the track, as his repeated riffs lead us to its satisfying conclusion.

There's more than enough promise here to warrant a longer release, so hopefully Shannon and Pullia can reconvene this band for another more extensive studio date to give us a fuller glimpse of what this dynamic group can offer.

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