Various Artists – Unexplained Sounds 3.0 (2025; Unexplained Sounds Group) – Avant Music News

At first blush, 3.0 seems out of character for the Unexplained Sounds Group, a family of labels focused on experimental ambient, drone, and acousmatic music from all parts of the world. Unlike the aforementioned rough genres, this compilation of 17 tracks from just as many artists is centered around synthetic beats and glitchy rhythms, along with electronic textures and long-held synth chords. The outcome is a marriage of ambient and techno without an emphasis on the dark soundscapes for which the labels are known.

Upon further consideration, a few recent Unexplained Sounds Group releases foreshadowed 3.0, such as albums inspired by William Gibson and Philip K. Dick. Both incorporated a significant yet subtly arranged dose of electronica and IDM to embody their respective futuristic and weird science fiction themes. But 3.0 is quite different in that many of the tracks exhibit the melody, harmony, and rhythm that acousmatic music famously lacks. Naturally, this leads to a large degree of diversity in terms of sound palette, structure, and feel across the album. And more than a few bleeps and bloops.

As an example of simplicity done right, Theta Flow from Beta Consciousness has an uplifting melody, steady beats, and a voiceover by a child. Contingent Basics is an uptempo piece from Durance with a rapidly pulsing beat. While’s Wayfinder is another laid-back track with streamlined synth motifs over a mechanistic meter.

At the other end of the spectrum are the abstract electronics of Oubys on Impluvium. Complexity and groove are balanced toward the former as order emerges from soft rhythmic patterns. Tescon Pol’s samples are carefully arranged into a glitchy soup and accompanied by field recordings. Capability of Being Detected from vÄäristymä is both glitchy and cosmic, with quiet clicking beats and shimmering tones.

3.0 may stand apart from the darker and more amorphous realms that typically define the Unexplained Sounds Group, but this offering ultimately extends its reach. By foregrounding rhythm, melody, and digital clarity over immersive soundscapes and shadowy atmospheres, the compilation opens a parallel path within the labels’ experimental space.

And finally, I found this release strangely compelling. It did not have the type of music on which I typically focus. Nonetheless, I found it a nice break and kept coming back to it for background music while working. That is not to downplay the compositional depth of many of its pieces – just that this collection of tracks can be enjoyed in multiple settings and for multiple purposes.