Illusion Of Time

AlbumMar 27 / 202010 songs, 43m 45s
Ambient Drone
Noteable

Daniel Avery and Alessandro Cortini have different skill sets: The former’s a purveyor of heavy-hitting techno, while the latter specializes in shape-shifting modular-synth etudes (when he’s not playing with Nine Inch Nails). Their full-length debut together sounds more like Berliner Cortini than Londoner Avery: In place of four-to-the-floor rhythms and surging acid lines, there are floating pads, pensive arpeggios, and eerie ambient miniatures. But they also venture into spaces neither has explored before: “At First Sight” and “Enter Exit” are so flush with distortion that they verge on shoegaze, while the even more overdriven “Inside the Ruins” boasts the scorched-earth textures of doom metal. In addition to being formally inventive, *Illusion of Time* is emotionally exploratory, too, slipping between contrasting moods in a way that accentuates its immersive qualities—and makes its climactic payoff, with the blissed-out shimmer of “Water,” that much sweeter.

7.4 / 10

On their full-length debut together, the UK techno producer and the Italian synth guru conjure a mood of pulsing electronic grandeur.

7 / 10

Unique ambience from two pioneers that can feel disjointed at times

Illusion of Time is the result of several years' worth of collaboration between techno producer/DJ Daniel Avery and analog synth master Alessandro Cortini (a member of Nine Inch Nails).

7 / 10

Illusion of Time is an impressive first collaborative release between Daniel Avery and Alessandro Cortini that conjures a wide range of soni...

8 / 10

Techno overlord combines with Nine Inch Nails member to create a desolate, dialectical ambient record that feels both organic and calculated

Album Reviews: Daniel Avery & Alessandro Cortini - Illusion Of Time

7 / 10