Dean De Benedictis, aka Surface 10, is a Southern California based composer
/ producer / performer / conceptual artist and electronic music pioneer.
He utilizes his interests in a variety of musical styles and concepts ranging
from experimental electronica to ambient, IDM to progressive jazz and beyond.
In 1996 Dean released his self titled debut CD on Hypnotic Records (a subsidiary
of Cleopatra Records) under the alias SURFACE 10, gaining him recognition
in the electronic ambient genre. Since then he has appeared on various Hypnotic
compilations and tribute CDs. In 97 Dean then collaborated with George Sara
of THC on another full length project for Hypnotic entitled "Exempli
Gratia" going under the name CATHEXIS, where he then earned notoriety
in the techno/trance realm.
Track listing:
1) This Will Sting (5.30)
2) Epheral (5.53)
3) SERVICE 10 Rendered (13.08)
4) Farewell Microscapes (5.52)
5) Of My Efforts (4.24)
6) Littt (9.33)
7) Perahn (6.16)
8) It Utters in Stealth (10.20)
9) Defrag Harvest Nocturn (DHN) (12.39)
The new SURFACE 10 release "In Vitro Tide" is a re-edited mesh
of musical materials Dean had recorded since the time of his first release
in 96. It is a sentiment of timelessness filtered through a series of
experimental approaches. As an edition to the electronic music world,
"In Vitro Tide" epitomizes the mystery of existence through
technology.
Surface 10 is nothing less than a pulsing, wreckless tour de force of
spiky, punchy beats welded and fused with white noise, grunge guitar,
dislocated voices and a swaggering disregard for somnolent sine wave culture
that permeates much of todays Electronica.
With a glistening, extrovert production, the album is a cavalcade of ideas
which fly off like sparks. The dense layers of texture are frequently
parted to reveal astonishing knots of wry melody lurking deep beneath
the surface of the album. Each track slides from one oeuvre to another
in a dazzling, almosy precocious attention to detail which offers much
in the way of rewards for repeated listening.
In many ways this is the most adventurous release yet from DiN and shows
that the label refuses to stand still in it's search for new and interesting
forms of contemporary electronica.
Review in Issue No. 7 of Grooves - experimental electronic music magazine.
The work of one Dean DeBenedictus, the music on this CD was compiled from compositions done between 1995 and 1999, and so it was fairly in step, if not much ahead, of the times. There's a Rephlex / Planet Mu level of complexity in the programming, which is swift, beat oriented IDM with plenty of sputtering, thrumming beats, pings and doings as well as a spooky, atmospheric outer-space feel and a high density of procesed samples, including liberal snippets from science-fiction films.
For those who like basslines and beats with a bit of fusiony synth burbling and some sense of foreboding apocalyptic doom, "Service 10 Rendered" sounds like something the Art of Noise might do if they downloaded their Fairlights onto a laptop. Some sounds here really hearken back to the era of jazz-fusion and '70s electronic music, and maybe that's a bit of Squarepusher influence popping through. "Perahn" and "It Utters in Stealth" are surprisingly ethereal, with only very understated beats that don't break the smoothly immersive mood. The final track, with it's Tangerine Dream-esque synth arpeggiations, is definitely something that could have appeared on one of the Warp Artificial Intelligence comps. DeBenedictus certainly plays the game as well as any of the bigger names in ambient-leaning electronica.
DiN 8