Following up April's album release, Salvage, in August 2022 we bring you two new fresh tracks from Cardiff-based artist First Third aka Christian Gates*. This release also includes a remix by label boss Dan Haines Cohen under his Stereo Minus One moniker.

These two tracks, simply titled '1' and '2', are quite a bit shorter than the epic 40-minute long Salvage, but no less interesting, working deceptively minimalist magic with crystalline FM synthesis and machinic patterns.

When we caught up with Christian recently to discuss Salvage, he shed some light on the way he works in producing these new tracks: "I like algorithms. I like the concept of giving the software/hardware a set of rules and parameters within which to act, and then seeing what it comes up with, so it’s a kind of collaboration between human and machine. Computers and machines are far more capable than I am of devising interesting patterns, structures, and harmonies."

Christian also talked about drawing early inspiration from both fine detail and abstraction in art: "I used to do really finely detailed graphic illustration. I saw a parallel that appealed to me between obsessively finely detailed illustration and obsessively detailed music. Something about the intricacies inherent in electronic music that spoke to me, and I felt that I could transpose my skills as an artist to music. I was also into very abstract painting, and again I could see/hear a parallel with electronic music, this time with how utterly abstract it could be."

As well as influences like Plaid, Aphex Twin, Boards of Canada, Christian shared how much he "loved the energy of Venetian Snares and Squarepusher (Go Plastic is a bloody classic) and kid 606. This is how I got the Rephlex compilation ‘The Braindance Coincidence', which remains very important to me. The same with Susumu Yokota's ‘Grinning Cat’, which is a total beaut, and introduced me to the Leaf label, Murcof, and so on."

Beyond these influences, the need to find a unique style is a strong driver, as these tracks beautifully realise. "One big issue I often have is that as soon as I identify similarities in something I’ve made with something else I struggle to justify keeping it, as I don’t know where the acceptable line between influence and (unintentional) plagiarism is drawn. It's the result of listening to a lot of music all the time, across a lot of genres. Inevitably you’re going to start to pick up influences, and notice similarities. I admire people who can keep themselves hermetically sealed."

*We highly recommend checking out Christian's output on Bandcamp as C Gates: cgates.bandcamp.com/music