Microgesture

Avant-techno mainstay Ricardo Villalobos and experimental percussionist Samuel Rohrer have been orbiting each other since Villalobos first remixed Rohrer’s trio ambiq in 2015, adding a crisp machine pulse to the group’s spongy grooves. *Microgesture*, their first duo recording, elegantly fuses their complementary styles with a mixture of modular synths, drum machines, and acoustic percussion. Both artists are more interested in texture than melody, and they explore their materials in ultra-vivid detail: All four tracks are clockwork contraptions of intricately intertwined movements. Dripping, pinging, and fizzing, their creations are overwhelmingly physical, even as they blur the line between acoustic and electronic sound. (Good luck discerning which musician is responsible for any given element in this polyrhythmic mind-meld.) The opening “Helix” wraps stuttering pulses in radio static and laser zaps; “Incus” maintains the frenetic pace but deepens the tone, dropping kicks like weighty anchors. “Cochlea” brandishes fine-grained textures that seem to tickle the inner ear, while the slower, bassier “Lobule” seeks a new center of gravity, playing clave patterns off shuddering expanses of atomized tone. The effect is as thrilling as bungee jumping from a great height, with the duo’s endless grooves serving as a rhythmic lifeline.