Sektor Z is hard to describe. Is he a DJ? A guitarist? Another Detroit product who blends homegrown rock influence with Detroit techno ala Muzzy Bearr (a fairly unspectacular artist who occasionally stumbles upon a brilliant mix of soul and dubstep) or Nigel & The Dropout (a kickass duo who has been featured before on this site)? Sure that’s been the new sound of Detroit for a few years now, with acts like Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. graduating to major labels, and each act has their own spin on the mixture of rock and electronic, some leaning much more in one direction than the other. And while this mixture may seem cutting edge, as Jr. Jr.’s latest record indicates, it still hasn’t formed a strong enough identity to be called a movement (anyone who has frequented the Detroit electronic scene should appreciate that joke).
The disparate nature of the aforementioned acts isn’t a knock against the scene itself, in fact the hallmark of a good music city, be it Seattle in the 90s, San Francisco in the 60s, New York in the 70s or the Detroit scenes of years past in the 60s and 00s, is variety and idiosyncrasy. The recipe is brewing, and I’m excited to see what the city has to offer in a few years once the burgeoning scene gestates a bit more, as live instrumentation continues to be integrated into the electronic music realm in a new, dirty, uniquely Detroit way.
Sektor Z seems to be on the right track in this respect. The jam band influence of bands like Umphrey’s McGee and The String Cheese Incident is palpable, and while that may not seem like a very Motown way to go, let a native son enlighten you, dear reader. Detroit, thanks to it’s proximity to Canada, has always been a city full of various psychedelic substances, which helps explain the massive rave culture there. Combine this with the new festival culture, especially with the area’s access to festivals like Electric Forest and Lollapalooza, and the jam direction makes a lot of sense.
The swirling guitar licks serve as a counterpoint to the grimy space age blasts of fuzzy bass that drive “Confrontational Escape”, while synths fill in necessary textures throughout. Do I wish that the guitar got a little dirtier? Sure but I also wish the guitar was dirtier in pretty much every album I’ve ever heard.
Track one, “Cognitive Dissonance” serves as an intriguing introduction to Sektor Z’s style. The Prince-esque guitar plunks give way to a subtle boom bap, reminiscent of the 80s but with a post-post-modern sense of awareness missing from a lot of similarly influenced artists. Take a listen to the goofy synths that enter around the two minute mark. They get your head bobbing in a way that is sure to slap a stupid smile on your face. Its the kind of groove that makes me want to become a cartoon character and strut down the street.
Kineticism and propulsion seem to be the two most important factors to Sektor Z, who advertises himself as space in every way. He’s a space man from outer space making spaced out space music, and I can confirm that with the right amount of THC flowing through my bloodstream I felt the energy of the music hurtling forward. The wide stereo width is used expertly along the driving bass, and it keeps the music interesting, especially on “To Bear the Burden of an Over-Analytical Mind” and “There is No Such Thing as a Comfort Zone”.
“Home is My Cockpit” is probably the weakest song on the EP, but only in that it serves the thankless role of switching up the pace. The lackadaisical groove is expertly done, but after following “Comfort Zone”, easily the most head spinning track it seems a bit underwhelming. I respect this decision in the context of the album as a whole, however I do think the song could have been a bit more... well, spaced out.
Overall, “Confrontational Escape” is an encouraging debut that attempts to push the boundaries of music today beyond the inane button pushing that has passed for live performance of late. The one thing this music is missing is an emotional through line, and spoken word samples or a vocalist would greatly aid this. It’s hard for me personally as a music listener to attach emotionally to instrumental music of this kind, and since prominent leads would distract from the concept it’s hard to compensate. Yet the mixture of rock and electronic set forward here is such a great bedrock to build from it won’t surprise me a bit if Sektor Z’s music grows and develops into something deeply affective.
