Debussy wrote candidly on how best to compose 'nature music'. His secret was to dodge sonic approximations of what is seen in nature, and to instead express the emotion it arouses. Modular synthesis can sometimes seem like a tool for arbitrarily mimicking a preconceived notion of tech and 'the future', but in Tone Systems it's just the flow of electricity guided by a gentle hand, as nature intended. The result revives the notion of 'pastoral' as an accurate label for modular synthesized music. Ben Hunter
Beginning to sound more 'produced' now,I think...production values rise with experience ("tradecraft", as Le Carre called it) but the band has yet more 'edge' and confidence...this is mature work and it feels like they are discovering their true identity and potential...the extended jam feel of some earlier music now seems a little more purposeful and focused...that's great,because there feels like so much more to come from DSA in the future and all the hard work is paying off... John Cratchley
On this stunning new LP, Fatwires treats the bass guitar with a series of effects to change its sound in these gripping darkambient tracks. Bandcamp New & Notable Oct 5, 2020
Geoff Barrow and co.—devilish as ever—fill their new EP to the brim with pendulous kraut jams, demented electronics, and eerie samples. Bandcamp New & Notable Jun 26, 2019
The long-running NYC group's full-length debut explores the various guises of minimalism in music, from Krautrock to post-rock. Bandcamp New & Notable May 16, 2019