Gui Boratto: Chromophobia

Gui Boratto: Chromophobia
Kompakt: 3/27/2007

Is Chromophobia Intelligent Dance Music? The term IDM has always struck me as odd. For one thing, it implies a kind of arrogance - are Mensa members not supposed to enjoy house music? For another, IDM seems to be an oxymoron. The notion that dance music is supposed to make one think, or that one kind of rhythmic electronic noise is more "thinky" than another, is absurd.

However, if were to apply the term IDM to anything, it would likely be Gui Boratto. Superficially, it seems to resemble house and techno music. On the other hand, Chromophobia is a balanced and integrated listening experience as a unit, though a majority of the tracks are almost as well-suited for being chopped up and composted into dancefloor fodder. Boratto is informed as much by the erudite affectations of industrial and post-punk as he is by Manuel Göttsching. He even admits to deliberately imitating Peter Hook's distinctive bass on "Xilo". The ploy worked; I initially thought that it was Hook playing on the track until I read otherwise. I suppose whether you are looking for a way to wile away some introspective hours or to shake some junk, Chromophobia will serve your purposes well.