Strategy is the solo electronic guise of Portland, OR mainstay Paul Dickow. This dude is a one-man music scene, involving himself in a vast array of activities in a vast array of musical genres: playing punk, jazz and post-rock, and DJing/remixing for the dance floor set. ?Music for Lamping? isn?t Dickow?s first adventure under the Strategy moniker, but his discography encompasses such a broad expanse of recorded goods that it?s hard to tell where this new album sits amongst the remixes, singles and LPs he?s dropped thus far.

?Music for Lamping? forgoes the beats, rhythms and melodies of dance music, leaving the atmospheric purity of sound to speak for itself. Dickow somehow manages to evoke the most elaborate imagery with his sonic constructions: the icy tentacles of mangled eggbeaters slowly rubbing against stainless steel sheets; the semi-solid waves of a crystal clear gelatine ocean; a family of synthesizers sitting down for an enigmatic holiday feast. The level of bliss one can attain by simply tuning in, turning on and dropping out to this collection of long-form electronic experiences is unbelievable. It?s no doubt that this intricate record is the spawn of six years of effort on Dickow?s behalf ? he?s managed to create an entire sound-world with less than sixty minutes worth of finished product. ?Music for Lamping? is most definitely a spectacular effort from a true sonic architect. 8/10 -- Bryon Hayes (24 September, 2008)