Nothing, Kode9's first album since the death of his recording partner, the Spaceape, is just as dark and mournful as one would expect, but it's also full of hope and urgency. Though a handful of these tracks were originally intended for Kode9's third collaboration with the Spaceape, much of Nothing finds the Glaswegian producer elevating his base melodies while coming off more inventive and flexible than ever before.
Drawing from a greater palette of sounds and ideas, thanks to his generous use of studio equipment, tracks like the buoyant "Holo" and the rubbery "Respirator" are able to breathe and stretch out, allowing Kode9 to give each track personality. Closing off with "Nothing Lasts Forever," a track that moves through a minute of haunted, vibrating noise before succumbing to nine minutes of silence, it's clear that the death of his good friend and musical partner affects Kode9 on a deep level, making Nothing one of the most honest and emotionally challenging electronic releases in recent memory.
