[Pom Pom]

Those hoping the first CD release from the ultra mysterious Pom Pom imprint would provide hints as to the identity of the artist behind the long-running series will be sorely disappointed: Following the theme of all-black vinyl releases, the CD is, of course, totally black all around, including both sides of the disc itself. Message received, then. So what do we know? Not much, really. The label has been issuing untitled vinyl releases since 2001, and if the blurbs on various websites are to be believed, he/she/they are from Berlin. Everything else known about Pom Pom is told through the sounds of the 32-and-counting record releases and now this debut CD recording.

That said, there is a whole world of information contained in those grooves; a world of sounds and rhythms unique to Pom Pom, and yet showing distinct splashes of others: Pole’s layers of static and buzz, Basic Channel’s dubbed-up and filtered analog textures, Aphex Twin’s bizarre sense of humor and love of rhythmic noises, and more. The mix may have some recognizable parts, but the whole stands on its own entirely. Most of the 14 tracks on the CD are six minutes or shorter, making them feel a bit more like abstracts of much longer experiments, boiled down so the final result gives the essence of the hours of work behind it; but it never provides the whole story, lest the mystery fades away (clearly a big theme for Pom Pom). And while the CD release certainly takes that first baby step toward accessibility for the notoriously low profile outfit, the music hasn’t been compromised one bit. It is intentionally odd, but still folds into minimal sets with ease thanks to its steady rhythmic pulse and metallic sound palette.

No two tracks sound too much alike, but they are all clearly of a set: steady, fairly uncomplicated beats smothered with noise, submerged in interference as if some wild-eyed scientist were trying with only some success to broadcast fractured pop tunes from the parallel land of Pom Pom, reaching out into space to make contact with the other side. I’m sure it’s nothing so elaborate, but then again, that’s the beauty of the enigmatic artist — they can be anything you want them to be.