What's in a name? Calling your band Hauntologists summons up some very specific images: Children Of The Stones, Ghost Box records, Delia Derbyshire hunched over some tape loops, real ale drinking beard enthusiasts… But this has none of that.
And yet, the name still feels apt. The debut album from Stefan Schneider and Jay Ahern (a pair who, separately, have quite the intimidating back-catalogue) is 11 tracks of sleek minimal house, but there's just a dash of the uncanny about it. While the rhythms are machine-tooled for precision, there's something slippery and unsettling going on beneath the surface.
Take 'Brooklyn', which bounces along a Dopplereffekt-like shuffle, while a creaking background rattle draws your attention. Or 'Turned', with its ominous industrial breakdown.
By its nature, this is repetitive music and, at times, the album does have a tendency to fade into the background. But at its best – the plucked strings of 'Hush' or the closing 'Rain', which brings to mind the playfulness of Christian Vogel – it's utterly hypnotic.
6/10
Words: Will Salmon
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