James Ginzburg and Paul Purgas’ EMPTYSET project has lain dormant for a few years now, as each member focused on other projects (Ginzburg with the Osmium ensemble, while Purgas researched and compiled recordings from India’s first electronic music studio). They return in 2023 with ash, a six-track collection of rugged, abstract electronic compositions that teeter between dubwise noise and extremely punishing club music. Making exclusive use of analogue hardware and captured using spatialised recording techniques, it’s one of the most potent releases of their career, concentrating nearly two decades of experimental audio research into 16 taut minutes. Those in search of sonic oblivion won’t want to miss the duo’s set at Sónar 2024.