Label: Italic
Catalog#: ITA 30 Format: CD/2LP
Country:Germany
Released:21 Mar 2003
Genre: Electronic
Style: Dub, Techno, Minimal
Credits: Artwork By [Design] - Andrea Krause
Written-By, Producer - Alex Alarcón
Pre-Mastering: Manu Molina
Mastering: Olaf Dettinger

Tracklisting:

1_Suspensión (3:21)
2_Dinámica (4:53)
3_Múltiplo (6:02)
4_Sólido (4:04)
5_Cúbico (4:31)
6_Módulo (6:12)
7_Cuántico (6:40)
8_Desviacón (4:21)

REVIEWS___________________________

Florida 135 (ES)
Se habla del sonido Colonia, pero hoy en día la geografía pinta menos en clubland que un laptop en un concierto de Iron Maiden. El sonido de Colonia ya te lo hacen en cualquier parte, incluso, ya puestos, en Barcelona. Porque Sustainer suena talmente como si el mismísimo Mike Ink se hubiera puesto a hacer ritmos con sus máquinas, pero con la diferencia de que quien maneja los aparatos en este absorbente "Cuántico" ni habla en kartoffen ni habita en las frías calles de la ciudad más occidental de Alemania. Alex Alarcón es el hombre que se responsabiliza del proyecto Sustainer, y como tanto artistas del país que han dado recientemente el salto hacia sellos de empaque en el circuito internacional, es alguien que se defiende más con sus actos que con su boquita. No ha necesitado recorrerse clubes de mala muerte, figurar en las revistas o malvivir hasta conseguir un mínimo puesto de privilegio: simplemente ha trabajado, ha sabido escuchar la música a su alrededor y finalmente ha completado un puñado de temas que, escuchados uno tras otro, dibujan una línea de hipnotismo techno que en nada debería envidiar a tantos nombres prestigiosos de los ámbitos del techno-dub o el microhouse. El único pero que se le podría poner a "Cuántico" –cogido con pinzas, por supuesto, ya que nada malo se puede decir de la secuencia alucinante formada por "Dinámica", "Múltiplo" y "Sólido"– es el de saber desprenderse del todo de sus referentes e imprimir una personalidad identificable al producto final. Pero, vive dios, este es uno de los mejores discos españoles de este año, y eso no sucede todos los días. Ademá, el sello, Italic –cuna de Antonelli Electr. y Borneo & Sporenburg– mola. Aunque en vez de ser de Colonia sea de Düsseldorf, pero nadie es perfecto.

Culturas- La Vanguardia (ES)
Entre los intereses fundacionales del sello alemán Italic consta "dar a dance music repetitiva la dirección del pop". Y ahí ha encontrado la cabida este austero trabajo del barcelonés Alex Alarcón, unos temas en los que de todos modos, prima lo más minimal y repetitivo que la exploración del pop, donde sigue mandando el ritmo sobre la melodía. Eso sí, siempre con un ojo puesto en una pista de baile que predisponga al trance. Ignasi Moya.

Laut (DE)
Die Dubabteilung des Kölner Italic Labels kann einen erfreulichen Zuwachs vermelden: Neben A Rocket In Dub bekommt Sustainer nun ein anerkanntes Forum, um seinen künstlerischen Output veröffentlichen zu können.
Alex Alarcón stammt, wie unschwer zu erkennen ist, von der iberischen Halbinsel und lebt in Barcelona. "Cuántico" beeindruckt durch eine sanfte Schwerelosigkeit, die jedoch nie ins Belanglose abdriftet.
Schöne wie interessante Flächen lassen einen vor sich hin treiben, eine nicht zu aufdringliche Bassdrum sorgt für ausreichend Schub, und zwischendrin setzen kleine markante Clicks smarte Akzente.
Eigentlich erscheinen die von Alarcón produzierten Tracks seltsam unaufgeregt, sie schreien nicht unbedingt nach größter Aufmerksamkeit. Sie laden den Hörer schlichtweg ein, eine kleine oder große Ewigkeit zu verweilen und zu chillen. Alle acht stören einfach nicht und vielleicht liegt gerade darin ihr größter Pluspunkt.

Dusted Magazine (US)                                                                           
Alex Alarcón, the 28-year-old Spaniard who records under the moniker Sustainer, deems his debut album Cuántico a "new Spanish Modernism". While a comparison between his Basic Channel techno and the revolutionary brilliance of Picasso and Falla sounds facetious at best, Alarcón's penchant for historical reference is not completely out of place.

As Falla and Picasso gained crucial perspective on their trips to Paris in the early 1900's, Alarcón ventures far beyond the borders of Barcelona to create his Cuántico sound. Berlin's signature dub sound is quietly rampant throughout these eight songs, as is the synthesized pop of '80s Italo Disco, although thankfully not to the same degree. When combined with a distinct nightclub aesthetic, the sound teeters between mindless accessibility and cultural innuendo, a formula that successfully circumvents any potential alienating extremes like pop or pedantry.

"Cuántico" (Spanish for "quantum") is an interesting title for a project that blurs the line between distinguishable electronic locales. In physics, a quantum represents the tiniest bits of matter than can exist independently, or that can be distinguished as independent units. Alarcón's philosophy would at first seem to rebel against such a theory, that one can dissect a particular sound into discernible genres or nationalities. Yet, upon further thought, perhaps he's merely recognizing the Lego-like construction of electronica, and on a grander scale, digital music in general. While the seductive ambiguity of Cuántico resonates with international intrigue, Alarcón's title of choice acknowledges the fundamental base from which it came. This subtle nod towards microscopic building-blocks interestingly enough buts heads with Basic Channel's smoke and mirror celebration of wax – perhaps a deliberate shift to differentiate this modern sound from its archeological influences.

Each song on Cuántico is represented by a geometrical sculpture in the album's sleeve notes. Again, the Spanish modernism movement is referenced through an overt cubist bent. The affiliation between Alarcón's sounds and objects is enticing, almost like an invite to study the accompanying art while listening to the album. The songs themselves support the idea of art appreciation – Alarcón develops a stabilizing foundation for each track and then subtly adjusts dynamics, timbre and sequencing as if recreating the contours of sculpture and their multiple viewpoints. At first, these songs can seem monotonous in rhythm and sound, but the pernickety electro glides and propulsive bass slowly reveal an arrhythmia of texture and perspective.

"Dinámica" delves deepest into the dub, balancing a heady bassline with metronomic accompaniment. Synths fade and disappear into ether while the two extremes jog in place. Cuántico's on Italic starts to make more sense on "Múltiplo", an uptempo number with enough 4/4 sensibility to induce a few wiggles here and there – a worthy opener for Antonelli Electr.. "Sólido" shifts dramatically to Rhythm & Sound territory abstraction at first, but eventually blooms into a grayscale kaleidoscope of micro-haus regalia.

Alarcón is pleasantly adept in the construction of atmosphere on his debut album – now he can start concentrating on color. Like the graphite tincture of his two-dimensional sleeve note sculptures, his minimalist compositions sometimes lack the personality of an Antonelli Electr. or Vladislav Delay track (although, how many contemporary electronica artists could claim their equals?) Cuántico may not be a quantum leap ahead of the competition, but it's certainly deserved of note, both for its accomplishments and its aspirations. By Otis Hart

Real Tokyo (JP)
Obviously influenced by the likes of Seefeel or Pole, techno artist Alex Alarcon aka Sustainer introduces on this brilliant album "new Spanish modernism." On the cover and in the booklet are etchings of crystals, and this symbolizes the music too well to be a coincidence. Carried by permanent, very decent hisses and noises, but without any superfluous ballast, the music on "Cuantico" comes across as solid yet transparent, and as sharp-edged yet polished as the stones that each seem to represent one track. Look at the etchings long enough and the crystals slowly turn into clouds. And so does the music. (Andreas 4.5/5)

Einblick (AT)
Wer schiebt denn da so spät noch die frisch gedubbten bunten Klötzchen durch seinen Sequencer? Der Klang mag einem suggerrieren, daß es sich hier um einen Jünger der kölschen Technofraktion handelt, der zugleich Basic Channel und deren Inspirationsquellen diggt. Doch der Beipackzettel erteilt einem schnell eine Lektion in Sachen globalisierte Rezeptions- und Produktionsverhältnisse, denn der in Frage stehende Künstler kommt aus Spanien. Die relevanten Soundkoordinaten des Mannes liegen zwischen Pop, Ambient, Dub und Techno und fügen sich dabei elegant in das System Italic ein, das uns schon Antonelli Electr. bescherte. Solide Schallwellen für das urban geprägte Nachtschattengewächs mit etwas Ruhebedürfnis. Phi

RIDER__________________________

-1 pair of  near monitors (JBL EON Preferred)
-Surface: 100cm x 50cm table / space
-Mixer: Pioneer DJM Series for computer based live set  / 1 stereo input
           Mackie VLZ Series for hardware based live set / 4 stereo inputs