For half a century, while the Cold War stewed, the Iron Curtain cast a shroud of mystery over the entire Communist bloc. Western propaganda painted the USSR as some clandestine crimson empire, and depicted its citizens as heartless automatons who worked in factories, wrestled bears and, in their spare time, designed doomsday devices. They wrote with a funny alphabet, their vending machines dispensed vodka, and perhaps, most heinous of all, their laws required them to share things.

The veil of secrecy began to part with Gorbachev's glasnost campaign, and for the first time, the American public realized the Russians were a little bit human after all. The hammer-and-sickle boys liked Big Macs, fast cars, tight jeans and loose women, just like you and me, really. The eventual dissolution of the Soviet republic ushered in a new era of open international communications, which in turn entailed a bit of cultural cross-fertilization. And after nearly a dozen years of mutual influence, Russia's avant-electronica scene now keeps close pace with Europe's. This, I'm afraid to say, is not strictly a good thing.

Sasha Zaicev and Ilya Baramia of St Petersburg's EU decided to start making music after hearing some early output from the Warp, Ninja Tune and Rephlex labels. The duo's rags-to-riches entrance into the IDM world (they began as mp3.com upstarts in 1997 and have now signed to Moscow's Art-Tek records) has since inspired computer geeks across the globe to try their hands at bedroom music. Unfortunately, the acorns seldom make it too far from the oaks, and many of these second-generation purists-- Russian, American or European, it no longer matters-- borrow too much from their predecessors.

EU's style owes a steep debt to the three labels they cite as influences-- so much so that their sound borders on imitation. Though I can't dismiss them as simply another two-bit Autechre knockoff, the music on this eight-song mini album lacks personality, relies on generic instrumental arrangements, and fails to carve a niche for itself among the proliferating sea of derivative records in this rapidly burgeoning genre.

The production on Reframing, however, shines. Songs like "Srez" and "Wienn" offer ample evidence of the pair's knack for penning melodies. The music employs a good measure of subtlety, and the beat construction-- a blend of tonal squelches, clicks and Pole-esque fuzz-- demonstrates admirable complexity. "Loopmind" ventures outside of the group's standard portfolio of sounds to produce a muddled but melodic gem that marks a refreshing departure from EU's other works. Its sound doesn't approach originality, but at least calls upon less hackneyed influences, like Third Eye Foundation and To Rococo Rot.

I suspect if I were to hear Reframing played back-to-back against Phonem's latest album, or the Electric Company material on Tigerbeat6, I wouldn't be able to tell any of it apart without the aid of a tracklist. And the list goes on-- EU could be appropriately likened to Merck artist MD, any of the projects on the Neo Ouija roster, and dozens of unpublished mp3.com amateurs. This album leaves me with no shortage of comparisons to draw; and that's why, despite its catchy riffs and technical refinement, it impresses me as largely mediocre.

-Malcolm Seymour III