Long awaited full length from the Miami duo of Josh Kay and Romulo Del Castillo (previous EPs on Warp & Schematic). Long awaited full length from the Miami duo of Josh Kay and Romulo Del Castillo. The title refers to a period when power stations reach a period of critical demand and electrical devices run at a slower rate and street lights covering the Southern Florida freeways are lit by what look like 40-watt bulbs. The record's name is telling, because it is Phoenecia's decisive break with their past. And that can be heard in the slow, contemplative way in which the record moves, almost as if it were being powered by a 40-watt generator itself. And, most surprisingly, the textures and shapes of Brownout have a far greater affinity for classic 70s roots dub than with the Roland Corporation's range of standard techno equipment, the 303, 606, 808, and 909. But that dub influence is immensely subtle. It's not of the Chain Reaction / Maurizio / Pole variety. This album is an electronic dub record where the dub implements are put to use in-between the beat. They slip into the cracks, peer around, then disappear again. This is not cold, lifeless, machine music. It draws the listener into a vast sound chamber where certain features remain constant, but others are restlessly shifting and squirming, like sea creatures. Brownout is, without doubt, Phoenecia's magnum opus, the place where the ideas found in the preceding records are allowed to come to full fruition. Recommended.
