"False LP A is constructed like a musical monolith dropped into our stereos: the more we think we know about the project and what a new album will be like, along comes a new set that’s as head-spinningly mysterious as ever."
The bewildering sounds transmitted to our speakers from Topdown Dialectic serve as a stunning synthesis of Chain Reaction leaning dub techno, corrupted data disc ambient, and glitched electronic grooves. The mysterious allure of it all has been compounded by the artist’s anonymity, which has until now been maintained in order to focus all of our attention on the sounds rather than the maker. That’s proven effective across a number of tapes for the likes of Further, Tailings, and Aught, as well as a brilliant vinyl trilogy for Peak Oil. Throughout the project’s discography, skittering, ghostly drum patterns wash out into more rhythmic states well attuned to Black Lodge chillout zones.
Even with the confirmation of photographer and producer Izaak Schlossman as the man behind the machines, it’s more red herring than revelation. The answer is as opaque as the sounds connected to the artist. With Aught and False Aralia, launched in 2024 as a collaboration between Schlossman and Brian Foote (of Peak Oil), Schlossman pays careful attention to the audio and visual aesthetic. The former featured clear tapes of static-y dub packaged in clear plastic bags, with five artists releasing two tapes each in a pyramid-like schedule. False Aralia highlights a striking black and white image on every record’s cover to complement the trippy, dubbed out tunes credited to different aliases. It’s no surprise that all of these projects straddle the line between downtown art gallery exhibitions and underground techno festivals.
2025 saw Topdown Dialectic stepping out of the shadows and performing at a handful of gigs for the first time. In preparation for these live shows, Schlossman unearthed older material and composed new works, which laid the groundwork for ‘False LP A’, a double-LP set that gives us our biggest chunk of Topdown works, 16 tracks over 80 minutes, to digest at once. ‘False LP A’ is constructed like a musical monolith dropped into our stereos: the more we think we know about the project and what a new album will be like, along comes a new set that’s as head-spinningly mysterious as ever. The sounds contained within move like shadows continuously copied onto a surface, slowly breaking down and fading with each iteration.
‘False LP A’ never gets too comfortable, ebbing and flowing between decayed ambient dub, such as “False LP A – 16”, and the offbeat rhythmic electronica of “False LP A – 05”. The deeper you go into the album, the more at ease you become with the uncertainty of what you’re hearing. The scratched patterns, dusty pads, and occasional mechanistic percussive rings of “False LP A – 07” convey a sense of curated systemic breakdown. If you turn on the news, everything is falling apart and tentatively held together by a slowly crumbling foundation. Why not soundtrack it with distorted, chaotic sounds interspersed with moments of electrified bliss?
While specific track callouts are helpful to those curious new listeners, the investment of time into hearing the record front to back is the perfect setting for Topdown Dialectic. The push and pull between spectral, nebulous hardware experiments and headier DJ cuts offers an immersive experience expertly crafted to keep you engaged and unsure of where things go. ‘False LP A’ is not only one of the best releases of 2026 – it’s solidifying Topdown Dialectic as a defining 21st century electronica project. It expands in scope with every release and opens up new layers upon successive listens.
With the meticulous consideration of every aspect of his projects, it wouldn’t be a surprise that Schlossman’s symmetrical release approach continues with something titled, to follow the pattern, ‘False LP B’. Or, it could be that ‘LP A’ stands as the defining, and final, document of Topdown Dialectic. Either of these options are viable, yet it doesn’t take away from the masterful production and songcraft on display with this album. Like a TV image slowly losing an already grainy black and white picture to increasing static and white noise, ‘False LP A’ is a disjointed and hypnotic trip into the ether of dub ambience.
‘False LP A’ is out now via False Aralia. Buy a vinyl copy from Inverted Audio Record Store.
TRACKLIST
1. False LP A – 01
2. False LP A – 02
3. False LP A – 03
4. False LP A – 04
5. False LP A – 05
6. False LP A – 06
7. False LP A – 07
8. False LP A – 08
9. False LP A – 09
10. False LP A – 10
11. False LP A – 11
12. False LP A – 12
13. False LP A – 13
14. False LP A – 14
15. False LP A – 15
16. False LP A – 16