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One of the more enthralling things about Aaron Funks programming is not only to cease-fully break new boundaries of aural experience, but also to transcend other electronic artists in ever increasing complexity and beauty in his works. Cavalcade is a towering milestone in the wake of a sorrowfully underrated and underappreciated artist. Funk brings to light a more mechanical feel to this album, combining the comic nature of Higgins Ultra Low Track Glue Funk Hits, 1972-2006, Glitch and Macabre performances from Winter in the Belly of a Snake with powerful melodies such as those captured in Rossz Csillag Alatt Született and successfully weaves ambiguous samples with seamless pops clicks and powerful bass thuds into sonic beauty.

"Donuts" kicks off the album with a repetitive sequence of samples as the monstrous "machine for making cows" whirrs into motion followed by an stomping tom-tom beat. Once each individual piece drops, uniquely genius melodies roar through, surrounded by avalanches of drum machine frenzy. "Swindon" uses a mixture of gentle and aggressive synths against a furious tom tempo to great effect followed by the frontal lobe rearranging "Pwnintendo" with Funk masterfully commanding every static pop and click with elegant precision backed by a growling chip tune melody. Other track highlights are the loosely narrated "Plunging Hornets", leading us through an arbitrary Snare experience juxtaposing the relaxed “easy” with the furious and untamed "difficult" building with dense bass thumps into a manic break with samples of an etiquette educational tape. "Tache" ebbs with electric buzz, crackles and snaps with a bittersweet chorus beaming through, eventually consumed in the rhythmic chaos.

Cavalcade’s climax is unparalleled by any other Snares release consisting of an epic 2 track, 9 minute experience. The haunting "p" stirs stings and throbbing synths with not one snare, cymbal or bass strike in earshot (quite a rarity for Funk.) This is short-lived however as the final track "cancel" moves on into a magnificent ripple of choppy distortion summarizing all the energy that has built up throughout the album before tearing itself apart with an anarchic assault of thumping bass and raw energy burning out on a final prolonged roar.

As with the majority of Venetian Snares’ releases, something new and exciting rises to the surface after every listen, so vast is the wealth of hidden melody and rhythm in each piece. A potential masterpiece let down only by a couple of mediocre songs that lack the energy of the other 8. Cavalcade is a brilliantly original and monumental addition to an ever increasingly diverse discology. For an album set apart from any other of its genre give yourself 48 and a half minutes alone and "listen to the drum machine".

Reviewed by: freeno x

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