Album Review: Environment Pt 1 by Alchba – A Sonic Dive into the Weird and Wonderful
If you’re into electronic music that doesn’t just sit in the background but instead grabs you by the ears and shakes you awake, Environment Pt 1 by Alchba is worth your time. Released back in 2016 on Dead Field Records (a label out of Russia), this album dives deep into noise, experimental, and ambient vibes. It’s not exactly "easy listening," but it’s one of those records that sticks with you long after the last track fades out.
Let’s talk about “Contortion” first. This track feels like stepping into a dream where nothing makes sense, but you don’t want to leave. The layers of sound twist and turn—hence the name—and there are moments when it almost sounds like machinery breathing or gears grinding in some distant factory. But weirdly enough, it’s calming? Like, yeah, chaos exists, but it’s organized chaos. You can tell Alchba put thought into every little bleep and buzz here. There’s no rushing through this one; it unfolds slowly, pulling you deeper into its strange world.
Then there’s “Fish Head.” I mean, come on, how could you not remember a song called that? It starts off super minimal, almost like underwater static at first, but then these haunting tones creep in, giving off serious "deep sea exploration gone wrong" energy. By the halfway point, it’s transformed into something completely different—like if someone decided to make whale songs meet industrial beats. Honestly, it’s kinda unsettling, but in the best way possible. I found myself replaying it just to figure out what exactly was going on. Is it supposed to feel alien? Or maybe it’s meant to remind us humans how small we are compared to nature? Who knows, but it works.
What’s cool about Environment Pt 1 is how unapologetically raw it feels. Alchba isn’t trying to sugarcoat anything or fit neatly into any genre box. Instead, they’re throwing all sorts of textures and moods at you, daring you to keep up. And while it might not be everyone’s cup of tea, anyone who digs experimental stuff will find plenty to love here.
Reflection time: Listening to this album made me realize how much music today tends to play it safe. Albums like Environment Pt 1 remind us that art doesn’t always have to make perfect sense—it just has to make you feel something. Also, fun fact: I now think of robotic fish whenever I hear static. Thanks for that, Alchba.
