Tag Archives: Octavcat

Switched On – Octavcat: Ailurophobia (VLSI)

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Reviewed by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

Matt and Rich Cawte’s Octavcat project has yielded some very fine electronic music to date, and with Ailurophobia they deliver their second album for the VLSI label.

Ailurophobia is ‘an intense, irrational and persistent fear of cats’ – a title that was almost certainly applied to this album in jest. That would fit with the subtle sense of humour that Cawte have brought to their music, and also the feline that graces the cover! Here it is described as “a ten-track selection of woozy, playful electronic music, precision hewn from the finest hardware synthesizers.”

What’s the music like?

What it says on the tin! An entertaining selection of beats and electronic activity from the duo that is consistently engaging and full of good ideas.

Beats ricochet across their steadily evolving pictures, which are often descriptive and carried out on several speed levels. CV Behaviour, for instance, is an amiable collision of early techno percussion and nuggets, with broader thoughts spanning greater distances.

Some of the music has a slightly sinister edge, with the dubby trudge of Skjærgård especially strong. Set 22b is an appealing, easy jam, while the closing Wrong Gravity is really excellent, from the glowering depths of the bass to some seriously big vistas that open out beautifully on headphones.

Arguably the pick of the bunch is the strongly evocative Gibbous, upping the tempo with strong, busy beats and acidic riffs but with a majestic breakdown that seems to represent the night sky itself. 

Does it all work?

It does – and repeated listening reveals extra layers within those you’ve already heard.

Is it recommended?

Enthusiastically – an electronic tapestry whose colourful secrets are revealed with imagination and flair. No need to fear Octavcat on this evidence!

Listen / Buy

Published post no.2,826 – Saturday 14 March 2026

Switched On – BUNKR: The Initiation Well Remixed (VLSI)

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reviewed by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

BUNKR’s album The Initiation Well proved to be one of the sleeper electronic hits of 2019, showing off the ability of Brighton’s James Dean to present an album of really well thought out electronica.

Now as a companion piece he has commissioned an album’s worth of remixes, with eight very different interpretations ranging from Digitonal to preston.outatime.

What’s the music like?

Both calming and invigorating, in equal measure. The collection is presented in a logical order, so we begin with a dreamy Digitonal remix of For The Birds, setting the scene beautifully as the track is left in suspension, bisected by a soft piano.

Fujiya & Miyagi do a typically fuzzy take on Solitary Drift, with added flutter and distortion that suits it really well – and their own half-whispered vocals. Octavcat then ensure Solar Wings takes off with its broad chords and busy rhythm.

The upfront, block beats of preston.outatime take Left For Dust to a tougher dancefloor, while Jonathan Krisp gets some acidic squiggles going against the slow moving backdrop of The Initiation Well itself. East Of Eden acquires more bleeps and movement, a really nice glitchy bit of techno applied by Lextron, while the remix of Docking Procedure finds Infinite Scale going under the surface with a head-nodding bit of dub. Finally label heads Echaskech apply their typically robust beats to a heady remix of Left For Dust.

Does it all work?

Yes. Importantly this set of remixes works as an album too, such is the intelligent arrangement of different tempos, textures and beats. All the BUNKR originals are complemented but remain recognisably the work of Dean himself.

Is it recommended?

Very much so. If you liked the original album you’ll find this imaginatively realised remix collection complements it perfectly.

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