We here at the Hassle do our best to alert you all to the best music out there in as timely a fashion as possible, but there’s just so much good stuff out there that sometimes a great release slips through the cracks and manages to exist for almost a year before we get a chance to bring it to your attention. Such is the case with Baltimore resident and Horse Lords provocateur Max Eilbacher‘s debut solo LP, Red Anxiety Tracers. But seeing as Mr. Eilbacher will be gracing us with his presence at this weekend’s edition of Scanners, I think it’s as good a time as any to bring this fantastic long-player to the attention of you, our faithful readers.

Red Anxiety Tracers is a fantastic bit of modular synthesis that was almost a year in the making. It’s abstract and repetitious but capable of sudden unpredictable surprises and a wide, almost cinematic emotional range. The cinematic feel is only enhanced by the splicing together of various tracks or movements into two sides rather than a series of songs. Many experimental electronic records, especially of the kind not designed for a dance floor, can become background. Something nice to have on while doing something else or just kind of zoning out. That’s not the vibe I get from this record. It requires (and rewards) deep and patient listening. Stick with it and you’ll be under its spell in no time.

Red Anxiety Tracers is available now from Spectrum Spools. Max Eilbacher performs this Friday at Club Bohemia with Container, Dev/Null and DJ Won’t.