Seven Ark is Justin de Nobrega and hails from Cape Town, South Africa, which goes some way to explaining the originality of his sound. Geographical isolation has played its part: with a sense of separation has come the need to push boundaries, to combine multiple genres into a cohesive whole that takes the proverbial envelope and pushes it as far as electronically possible. This is unabashed, progressive electronic music that's constantly tackling new forms and structures, as fresh in 2008 as when it was first released three years ago. ‘Sixteen’ shows Seven Ark at his best – break of dawn chords, melodic relief from the ripped, crunch beat – drawn from the top drawer of electronic head-nod. If Apparat’s prior Neo Ouija EP ‘Shape Modes’ described the sound of machine error, Seven Ark may well imagine a time when they’ve learned to get along. ‘Glass shattering under water’ however, reveals more than a passing fancy for the hiccup beat of full blown electronic hip-hop, and this is no idle dalliance. ‘Floor’ with its chunky, juddering beat and lifted by a gorgeous acoustic guitar lick betrays Justin’s fascination with the preternatural talents of Arovane, and that’s some compliment, as Uwe Zahn has shown himself easily the most progressive and gifted of the second generation idm:ers this past five years. Of course the spectre of Autechre’s genius has always weighed heavy on this virally active sub-genre, and their penchant for the mighty squashed beat makes itself felt towards the end of this fascinating and enticing debut full length.