Magnetic is yet another guise for drum-n-bass' most recalcitrant practitioner, David Harrow. You probably won't remember him from his ivory-stroking days in Jah Wobble's world fusion band, the Invaders of the Heart. You might not remember him from his Andy Weatherall-released Technova project either. But you may recall his bebop-n-bass records under the James Hardway alias.

Harrow has many disguises and his Magnetic moniker allows him the opportunity to showcase his inner mechanoid. A la Magnetica was entirely composed, produced, mixed and edited on his PowerBook. He did all of the above while killing time on train journeys, taking his dog for walks, waiting in line at the Post Office-- whenever he could seize a second. Fortunately, and against expectation, the record doesn't sound at all chopped up, disjointed, or slapdashed. And while it's not the most out there drum-n-bass you can buy, it certainly isn't without distortion, disruption, or some distinction.

A la Magnetica revels in clashing cymbals and depth-charge bass drops, but boasts few actual melodies. The album is carried by Harrow's juxtaposition of sequencer runs and ambient padding with the percussive assault of his beat battery. This contrast is particularly effective on the opening track, "Takeshi Beats," where the rhythms roll over each other in a chromium tangle. It's enough of a dystopian vision to give you dyspepsia. "Hostile" begins with a claxon-like repetition before the kickdrum throws the song out-of-whack. It's an unsettling device which is only righted when the synth pads sweep in and bring comforting stability. "Cheap detective" is a growling, low-riding mutation, spiked with high-pitched thorns. But like "Hostile," this track soon resolves its sinister snarl into a familiar hum.

Over 11 tracks the limitations of what Harrow's PowerBook can produce become all too obvious. Harrow isn't able to generate sounds other than lush ambient whooshes and delayed sparkling tinklings. In contrast to his brash and thrilling James Hardway albums, A la Magnetica sounds unadventurous. In short, Magnetic is the sound of David Harrow coasting. D'wanna drift?

-Paul Cooper