Margus Löve has spent years skillfully mapping the essence of techno music, moving up and down the timeline to incorporate into his sound works elements such as the industrial rhythms transformed by the Yamaha DX7, the e-tablet pop music of Belgian dance floors, cold warehouse raves, the electronic abstractionism of the '90s generation, and the monotonous darkness of Berlin’s (new) school. The styles of different decades are always noticeable in his work, but they come filtered through his own musical lens—one that sifts out individual emotional moments instead of direct copying. These rhythm constructions or tonal textures, filtered with surgical precision, are always delivered back to the listener in a highly minimalist form.

This is also the case with the “Altered” EP (which actually should be labeled a maxi-single), where the minimalism of the tracks could be visualized as a triangle: one point being beats per minute, the second point echo-laden synthesizer sounds (which would be a stretch to call melodies), and the third being the track titles’ tags—dub and rave. The latter, dub and rave, begin to stretch one corner of the triangle, and though the overall number doesn’t change according to Pythagorean theory, the rhythm either accelerates or slows down, other sounds come closer with greater intensity or fade into the mist. While the overall structure remains the same and uses the same materials, the mood offered moves across a broad and rich spectrum.

The construction is simple, brilliantly balanced, and soothingly monotonous. But the words "rave" and "dub" add yet another layer—and this one is subconscious—where the listener imagines these mentioned musical styles in their mind. This fantasy play makes the music itself feel more abundant, offering more than just the recorded bits and bytes can allow.

As a fifth track, there's also “Altered Ambient,” where the beauty of the material’s simplicity comes out especially clearly. Here, everything is fully laid out and the airy space gives a better sense of the sounds used in the track. Flowing very quietly, it gives the listener more time to become familiar with every tiny sonic detail. Beautiful simplicity and the beauty of simplicity—from rave to chill out. 

1. Altered (Rave)
2.Altered (Rave Dub)
3. Altered (Dub Rave)
4. Altered (Dub)
5. Altered (Ambient)

Recorded, Mixed and Mastered by Margus Löve at Sudu Mastering.
Artwork by Martin Rästa.

https://exitsafemode.bandcamp.com/album/altered

Altered

As of 2015 I work under the alias Exit Safe Mode and my creation can be heard here:
https://soundcloud.com/exitsafemode

Margus Löve has been a well known name to darktronica scientists over the years. The solo artist’s starting point after the change of millennium became the technoid end of drum&bass with the bubbling bass waves of speed garage and Löve’s style became substantially directed by dubstep that gained ground at the start of the 2000s. The name L-OW successfully propagated the bass-loving vibe at the prime time of dubstep, and in the background the dub-techno-esque parallel project 1DERL& got more and more off the ground. Founding of the label Processed in 2012 and the release of 1DERL&’s debut album became a spiritual turning point – the allure of the sounds of dubstep shifted to the background and darker soundscapes found a new home in cooler techno trances. Margus Löve has moved still deeper in the swamp of sounds with his new project Exit Safe Mode that is striving to cut through the safety nets and broaden the palette of sounds. The sounds are complemented by darker ambiences and rhythmic skeletons, while staying essentially loyal to the pulsating force of techno. It’s time to discover the shady territories beyond the untrodden tracks.

RELEASES:

[Processed / PRCSD 003 / Digital ] 2012
L-OW
Inspect
Pain Of The Sting
Theme 1

[Heartfelt / HFT 001 / 12''] 2012
Disgu!se
A. Listen To Me (L-OW Remix)
AA. Camera (Underexposed Mix)

[Project Squared / PSQ 003 / 12''] 2010
L-OW
A. Pinpoint
AA1. Diver
AA2. Diver (Furesshu's Die Welle Edit)

[Lita / LITA 003 / CD] 2010
Ehitajad
The Messenger (L-OW Sammumarss Remix)

[Lejal Globe / LJLGLB 009 / CD] 2010
L-OW
Scattered VIP
Rasta From Alaska VIP

[Umblu / LUCD 18 / CD] 2010
L-OW
What Would We Do

[Umblu / DIGU 007 / Digital] 2009
L-OW
What Would We Do

[On The Edge / OTE 006 / 12''] 2009
L-OW
A. One Chance
AA1. The Key
AA2. Asshak

[On The Edge / OTE 005 / 12''] 2009
L-OW
A. Moment Of Truth
AA. Moment Of Truth (Spherix remix)

[Dub:iouz / DBZ 002 / 12''] 2008
L-OW
A. Barrier
AA. Throbs

[On The Edge / OTE 002 / 12''] 2008
L-OW
A. Reflector
AA1. Rocking Chair
AA2. Transfer Error

[Lejal Globe / LJLGLB 005 / CD] 2008
L-OW
Lost Valley

[Z Audio / ZWHITE 001 / 12''] 2008
L-OW
A. Rising
AA. Rising (F-One remix)

SUPPORT >>
http://processedsounds.bandcamp.com