Mute U.S.
1998
Artifakts (Bc)
About This Album
Relatively brief and comprised of archival recordings, Artifakts [bc] is nearly as amazing as producer Richie Hawtin's other Plastikman albums and, in many ways, is perhaps the most balanced of the series. The seven tracks here consist of remnants from an abandoned Plastikman album known as Klinik. According to Hawtin's liner notes, he had intended it to follow Musik but ended up scrapping the album and releasing the Sickness single instead. In addition, he began working on Consumed, the dark, ambient Plastikman album he released in 1998. Thus, the "bc" in Artifakts [bc] is an acronym for "Before Consumed," and the seven previously unreleased tracks compiled here fall somewhere between Musik (the second Plastikman album) and Consumed (sequentially the forth if you're keeping track). Artifakts opens with three quiet tracks very much like what Hawtin would explore more fully on Consumed: "Korridor," "Psyk," and "Pakard." Of these, the latter is surely an album highlight, extending on for over 12 minutes, led by a mesmerizing acid line which is eventually accentuated by haunting synth ambience once the track nears its halfway point.
Track List (try tracks 4 and 5)

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