Oleg Poliakov

Having dropped nearly a dozen 12-inch singles for the Circus Company label since he joined their roster in 2007 with Random is a Pattern, Frédéric Aubourg — the Frenchman behind the very Russian-sounding Oleg Poliakov project — has finally birthed a full-length release. While his earlier singles and work under the alter ego Skat were mainly manifestations of deep house, this album strays from the format, taking on a more cerebral and ethereal bent. Aubourg, allowed to stretch out, incorporates ambient textures, complex melodies, subtle dub-like effects, and in the case of killer tracks "Beyond" and "Anatomy of a Shipwreck," oddly noisy samples and hard-driving rhythms. Standing out from the rest of the pack is the hymn-like "Lies," with its lonesome, echo-laden piano line and mantra-like vocal loop. This track alone proves that Aubourg has managed to explore a vast amount of territory with this release, and has had incredibly successful results.