the fourth way is a collection of rich electronic works that explore subtle variation in spectral counterpoint, silence, movement, and rhythm. lush, pushing and precise linear hypnotic ambience ventures into territories where gripping data textures and air-tight moog tones push and pull with streaming fountains of electronic elegance.

Mapsadaisical, Scott McMillan

This album is full of those sounds that make my teeth hurt. It is so highly charged with static that bright blue sparks dance off its metallic surfaces, and I can feel them deep in my fillings. There is a considerable degree of sonic perfectionism here: the music is the work of one Cory Allen, keen to make an impression with his first release on his Quiet Design label, and an additional layer of sheen was applied by the mastering of none other than Taylor Deupree of 12k.

The Fourth Way has been painstakingly constructed from Fender Rhodes and Moog, but these source materials have been ring-modulated and processed to the moon and back. Listening to the opening track “Exedra“, the most obvious reference point I can come up with is Alva Noto: think about the lush, rain-dappled textures of Xerrox Vol. 1, and then add to that the violent raw data stabs of his latest, Unitxt. A succession of cinematic backdrops are pinned up, admired briefly, then gleefully slashed and shredded until they are but jagged mis-shapes. After the relatively blissful build of “In Search Of A Miracul” comes another standout: “All Suns” starts off with some pure, ringing tones and burbling water, but these quickly mutate to become Machinefabriek-like drone and white noise, before it ends with some deep skull-tickling bass vibrations.

With this excellent release, Cory Allen and Quiet Design have comfortably esconsced themseves in the cupboard I call “things I need to keep a close eye on”. From time to time I’ll put the strange old whistling man who lives across the road in there to keep them company. And my rabidly rightwing dentist, who I’m pretty sure is fomenting all of London’s hate crime. I’ve never trusted him. And I’m sure my fillings aren’t

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Foxy Digitalis, Rutger Zuydervelt

Cory Allen is a name I hadn't heard before. And that's a damn shame, 'cause this album makes me want to hear more. I'm a sucker for Tim Hecker's and Chris Herbert's kind of grainy, melancholic electronics, and this one fits right in. And while we're namedropping, you might add Steinbrüchel and Taylor Deupree (who mastered the album) as references.

What Cory Allen has in common with those artists is the fact that he is capable of creating very warm, emotional music using mostly digital means. The last track seems the most restful, but the ongoing high pitched tone makes sure you never get too comfortable.

With it's seven tracks in 40 minutes this CD has a compact length, which makes you want to press 'replay'. And again. And again. I must admit that this isn't the most original album, but within it's genre it's a gem! Beautiful.

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White_Line, BGN

With only a handful of releases under its belt, Quiet Design is quietly staking a claim on the world of digital composition by introducing new and up and coming artists whose work is slowly making an impact on the scene. Here, Cory Allen sees fit to release his own work on Quiet Design, with a startling release entitled Fourth Way.

Allen sets out his stall right from the outset, with a series of static bursts, Exedra swamps the senses, then blisters and bursts into rangy tonalism that flickers around the central theme. A similar approach continues on Telepathic Solve, where an almost church-like quadra-tonal organ refrain pushes through the static, granular surfaces, lending the whole piece a surreal, slightly disconnected atmosphere, drifting like smoke from a raging furnace. This series of pieces instantly remind me of the techniques deployed by Alva Noto on his recent Xerrox release, where a harsh textural backdrop becomes the mainstay of each piece, with exquisitely rendered tonalism layered over the top, to create sonic edifices that are challenging, but still highly listenable. Allen experiments with pure granular digital surfaces in the two Chordata Analysis pieces, perhaps time stretching and reforming them into short form pieces that are sketch-like examinations that may evolve and merge elsewhere. As the CD continues, each piece gradually departs from the glitchier elements, and becomes pure experimental tonalism, occasionally perforated with organic or digital sequences to maintain interest.

High point of the collection for me is All Suns – here, Allen utilises old style ambience, with expansive chord sequences, deliciously warm and glowing swells of pure sound, layered between a fabric of gristly digitalism, that barely impinges on the ear, yet becomes an essential component within the whole, a perfect reference point for the whole collection. Not having heard Allen’s solo work on various other small labels, this collection is a worthy entry point to his work. Add to this some nicely executed packaging, and production by Taylor Deupree, and this is a recipe for a very fine release that would be a worthy investment.