ABC123

Sometimes, To Rococo Rot make their most significant moves on ancillary releases, like the moody dub techno of the Paris25 EP, or the experimental edits of their interpretation of Walter Ruttmann’s “Weekend”. ABC123 slots neatly into that shadow history – it’s a mini-album, apparently an ‘homage to the longstanding Helvetica font’, created solely using computers and synthesizer. ABC123 exemplifies what the group once called a ‘fugitive way of working’, as though they’re composing on the fly, catching moments of inspiration while in transit or in the studio. They still have a winning way with simple, affecting melody – the descending tones of “Freitag” are luscious – but it’s on cuts like “Verschieden” and the title track where they’re at their most inspired here, suggesting a more refined, gentle interpretation of the disassociated electronics of early Mego.