Andrea Parker

Andrea Parker's lush productions of swooning string sections; analog effects; echoing, breathy voice; and pointed Electro beats glide between the brooding sounds of Darkwave and the sampladelic tapestries of her Mo'Wax label mates. However, her music is much closer to Massive Attack than either Black Tape for a Blue Girl or DJ Krush. Parker's music opts for beat programming over breakbeat samples and is hardly for the Goth set. Tracks are intensely heavy -- almost oppressively so -- like a horror film soundtrack that manipulates your mood through a balance of massive force and subtle textures. Her voice drifts from down the hall of an abandoned house as rhythms that suggest the house is shifting under a strong wind slowly creak and pop an eerie down-tempo beat. Like a horror film that you can't stop watching despite your fear, Andrea Parker's tracks leave you transfixed with a slight, cold sweat and shudder.