2003 release ** "Michael Hartman and Junko Okada of the electronics group TV Pow has established his own Kuro Neko imprint, and based on the label's first two offerings, he's got his eye on a number of different scenes. Motor is a man from Moscow who, whether working in abstraction or (as is the case here) with pulse-based forms, prefers austerity and minimalism. Though rhythms clearly sit at the center of Freeze, they are subtle and don't detract from the melodic elementss, the subtle electronic details, or the fulsome drones. I have very little clue as to Motor's relation to the larger Russian electronica scene, but this music (seven fairly brief tracks) is certainly pleasant enough. Working with basic elements, there is a lot of emphasis on panning, phase-shifting, and so forth. Set against the propulsive beats and occasional claustrophobically close crackles, Motor's pieces are effective. There is a kind of muffled, snow-packed quality to the sound. Whether on the densest groove pieces or on those like "p> A," where there is only the rush of wind or burbling of water, or the Fennesz-like tranquility of "...to home," Motor is effective in establishing sonic environments, surrounding you with sound."