Electronic Music 411 - VA: Robohustlin, free IDM compilation from subVariant

subVariant's latest free compilation, Robohustlin, is a curated collection of melodic IDM, ambient and glitch tracks from Chicago and beyond. Chaircrusher's "Crow Beat" and Milipede's "30,000" take a somewhat dark, harder approach, while tracks like Diarmo's "Details" and Matt Wolfe's "4:09am" hover somewhere between hopefulness and melancholy, held together with intricate rhythmic programming. All thirteen tracks were chosen from an open call for songs in July-August of 2010, and represent the highest quality and most discernable sonic dedication that fit with the general theme that organically emerged over the course of weeding through all the submissions.

In keeping with subVariant's tongue-in-cheek, music-as-consumer-product design aesthetic (see Subvaritrax, Exception AM), Robohustlin's digital cover lists the individual artists as separate "cures" in a packaging style based on the popular cough & cold medication, Robitussin.

Play the compilation & read more: link

SUBVARIANT RECORDINGS is a Chicago-based record label committed to releasing boundary-pushing, abstract electronic music, as well as innovative approaches to the promotion and presentation of each artist’s work. Founded in mid-2003 with the goal of elevating awareness of quality, experimental electronic music to a larger audience, its modus operandi has been to explore and utilize targeted promotion and imaginative publicity campaigns to reach this end. link