Circus Company has watched the rise of Oleg Poliakov after he first joined their
ranks with Datcha Musik way back in 2007. Since first swearing allegiance to
Circus, he has continued to unfurl a refined approach to house and techno that
carefully balances a respectful mastery of the classic tropes of the genre with his
own instinct for seductive melodic content. Finally, after no less than 11 singles for
labels such as Bass Culture and Eklo as well as Circus, the time has come for Oleg
to embrace the album format and take us on a journey that stretches beyond the
immediacy of a dancefloor 12'' and perfectly captures where he is at right now.
There is a techno spirit roaming the circuitry of Oleg's studio, tussling with the
delay and reverb gates, firing off focused, intricate rhythms and unafraid of
whipping up a mean-tempered kick or two. Across Random Is a Pattern you can
hear such energy surging out of tracks like ''Beyond'' and ''Anatomy of a
Shipwreck,'' with the latter having an especially tough rhythm section. However,
these cuts have just as much brain as they do brawn, and in between the driving
drums sit haunting pads, ethereal dub textures and curious string harmonies. This is
not an album of functional club tracks though, far from it. Recognizing the value of
the album as a vessel for exploration, Oleg turns his hand to some truly
unexpected patterns and tones. ''A Quiet Storm'' comes from the school of classic
ambient electronica and leftfield broken beat, while ''Holy You'' makes for one of
the most startling moments on the album with a powerfully resonant vocal sample
over plaintive piano and a fractured rhythm. While some may be surprised to hear
the styles that Oleg has turned his hand to, the tracks are undeniably his. In his
choice of mysterious chords and moving key structures, he continues along the
smooth creative arc he has been carrying us on since he first emerged. When he
can demonstrate such a gift for diverse tempos and moods and make them all sit
together comfortably as his own, Random Is a Pattern marks a perfect culmination
of what has come before, not to mention being an exciting precursor to what will
come after.
TRACKLISTING
01. Intro
02. Beyond
03. Amanite
04. A Quiet Storm
05. Ethereal Thoughts
06. C.A.V.O.K (CD-only)
07. Anatomy of a Shipwreck
08. Lies
09. Subterranean Rivers (CD-only)
10. Ditching