The great netlabel Monotonik (mono211.com) closed out 2007 not with another in its ongoing free new electronic releases — but with a tasty archival entry. Back in 2000, on his own Systorm Technologies label, Aaron Rutledge released an EP titled Musical Endeavor under the name Pliant. According to the recent Monotonik entry, the EP was intended to be the sound of a fictional video game, an intention supported by such track names as the vigorously bleepy “Title” (MP3), the sedately synthy “Options” (MP3), and the vaguely porn-score-ish “Boss” (MP3), not to mention “Credit” (MP3), which sounds like several arcade faves being played side by side. And those are just four of the nine tracks. What’s interesting, in retrospect, is that though Pliant’s tracks suggest video-game background scores, they aren’t stuck in the 8-bit mimicry or nostalgia that fuels so much of today’s retro-gamer music.
More info on the release at mono211.com. The old systorm.com URL now redirects to Rutledge’s own aaronrutledge.com.