Brothomstates' CLARO kicks off with the icy IDM of "In," all crystalline refractions and low drum hits. "Brothomstates Ipxen" keeps the beat steady, and the ice slowly builds around it, until the beat itself collapses, while "Kava" lets the beat wobble and "25101999" just lets the chaos reign. Luckily, "Mdrmx" regains the sparkle and the luster for an almost fairytale-like atmosphere, while the strings on "Kivesq" give that track a lush sweep. But "Mr. Kitschock" and "Detektiv Plok" get back to twitchy IDM, and "Viimo" ends the album by warming the ice some, but not so much that it turns into slush. If you were to ask a Spaniard, 'Is it a strong album,' he'd certainly answer, 'Si, claro.'

Once you give Claro a couple of listens you start to really notice where Lassi Nikko roots are. His style varies from the choppy Autechre Hip-Hop beats to melodies reminiscent of something off a Boards Of Canada album. Now his sound varies heavily from early 90’s ambient to current experiments as some other Warp releases like Draft 7.30 or Ceramic Is The Bomb. Nikko is way ahead of his time. It’s a decent album, not a 5/5 by any means but something to look into if you are tired of the same old same old.

this is probably my favorite warp release of the year (2001). it's loaded with that classic warp sound. equal parts oldskool autechre, aphex twin, and plaid, all mushed together, with a few hard-edged surprises such as the 4th track, 24101999. this isn't exactly groundbreaking stuff (sort of what i look for when buying releases on warp), but is still a great listen. robot garbage trucks trying to fit under low-clearance bridges.