Dynooo is an enigmatic figure in the Belgian beat music underground. His Twitter features a stream of rather incoherent information and his Tumblr shows numerous low-resolution snapshots of, well, things. He preaches triviality: while others use social networks to promote themselves, Dynooo occupies these structures ad absurdum. Moreover, with the excess of pointless tweets and washed out photo postings, his originality shines through in contrast. And this originality can be found in his dysfunctional music as well. You might think of Beatnik poetry, a Teller-inspired understanding of photography and texture, glitch culture, Art Brut… but the bottom line is that Dynooo sound can’t be attached to one singular influence. Aesthetically he shares a fair amount with friendly producers like Wanda Group, Matthewdavid, or Cupp Cave. Dynooo, however, might be the most radical in a small scene of like-minded musicians and artists.

Now the Ghent-based producer has a new LP available and it is easily his best. ‘De Vlindermes’ (UUU Tapes) is his second full-length after ‘Vvideo Hair’ (Surf Kill) and the ‘Gum Dragon’ 12″ (Digsville). Surf Kill released two cooperative 12″ EPs by Dynooo and fellow Belgian Cupp Cave (we reviewed his alter ego Ssaliva). While most of his older material can easily be labelled as beat music, on ‘De Vlindermes’ Dynooo embraces ambient and experimental pop. A cloud of undefined nostalgia hangs over these ten tracks. The sound is strange and soapy as though they were ripped from an over-played VHS tape with glitches and pitching all over the track. It’s hard to say which part is sampled and what’s original recording, as everything sits together tightly in the mix, each part sounding equally ominous. Thanks to Dynooo’s subtlety the record never becomes too drowsy or soothing – his background in beat music shines through in the deft composition, rough collage, and compressed mix.

‘De Vlindermes’ is a catchy record. On this release we see Dynooo making use of melodies much more than on previous offerings. These come rather easy and cheap, which a certain ’80s low-cost TV series feel (not to speak of soft porn), but they make a stunning contrast to the EP’s strange backing textures. If you grew up watching Twin Peaks you will connect with the feeling immediately. Hav Lyfe understood Dynooo all too well and submitted a remix that adds a beautiful bit of warmth to the original ‘Waved’ (free download here). The focus on melody and texture is accompanied by simplified beats – if there is a palpable beat at all. ‘Birchwood’ (cop for free from Rose Quartz) and Matthewdavids‘ remix of ‘Adidas Kunttt’ (another freebie) are the only tunes that have a programmed rhythm. Tracks like ‘No Scrubb’ and ‘Howll Ginsburg’ have a dark and primordial pulse that originates from the interplay of different elements rather than quantised beats. Without copying any Can or Neu! clichés, Dynooo gets closer to the original idea of krautrock than most of his contemporaries. It is an essential release.

‘De Vlindermes’ is out on Triple You Tapes now.