Groove Immersion

"Groove Immersion" takes its cue from the rhythmic elements Roach laced through "Immersion:5" and expands on them with infinite-loop beats tapping out a hypnotic bit of code that goes straight to the brain. Roach places the beats over familiar, downward-spiraling curls of sound and analog-synth clicks and snarls, and the pairing creates a space of darkly meditative bliss. The beats persist for the first two of four sections, nearly a half-hour’s worth of clearing some mind-space, and then Roach drops them to let the listener course on the current of his shadowy musings for most of the third track. The beats pick up again for the closing section and deliver the listener back to the beginning in perfectly loop-worthy style. "Groove Immersion" has strong tribal overtones, the same shadowy shapes and lower-world atmospheres that run through spaces like "Fever Dream" and "Nightbloom." What separates it is the potent and persistent medicine of the beat. This is a disc that just gets deeper the longer it loops.