Skudge US At Juno Download

Review: Having been crazily prolific throughout 2011 with a double LP and countless 12"s and remixes to their name, Swedish duo Skudge elected to take a curatorial role of late with their Skudge Presents offshoot. The series began in excellent fashion late last year with Mini Mood from the Edinburgh based producer Stephen Brown, and it's clear the label is going to maintain those standards with their forthcoming releases. Here Skudge's compatriot MRSK opens with the ruggedly excellent "Twirl" which wraps burrowing metallic textures of sound around granite heavy rhythms that jostle uncomfortably in the steppish space between outright techno and more broken patterns. This nightmarish scenario is complemented by the liquefied slickness of "Pinkman" which sees a ghost deep in the machine attempt to have its voice heard amidst the pressure of a constantly upwardly shifting rhythmic flex and some wonderfully Utopian arpeggios.

Review: Finally available digitally, Skudge Records offer up the Swedish analog fetishists' first single, which has more than stood the test of time. The dense, shuffling beats of "Convolution" sound similar to those on Martyn's last album, albeit a few degrees denser, while the evocative female vocal that lingers in the background could have been borrowed from a hardcore record which itself sampled an old house track. Just in case any listener thought that Skudge had a 'funky' side to their sound, they then weigh in with "Contamination". Still one of their hardest tracks, its tough, metallic beats provide the basis for insistent stabs and an acid line that embodies malicious intent. Infection has rarely sounded so alluring.

Review: The second Skudge 12" bomb "Melodrama/Ontic" finally sees a digital release after a good few years of anticipation...this is especially exciting seeing as the original vinyl is now near impossible to find and extremely sought after! "Melodrama" is full-on Skudge mode: an echoing female voice is pushed forwards by their signature fist-pumping kick drums and sparse bass lines - an irresistibly seductive and hummable dub-filtered rhythm for fans of Basic Channel or Shed. "Ontic" is another progressive, analogue-powered Skudge anthem - grainy hi-hats, 909 kicks and murky, reverberant bass lines are all swallowed by a stunning backdrop of pads. A definite TIP!

Review: Although Skudge's uniquely deep brand of techno stands apart from almost everyone else on the scene, they certainly know how to pick their remixers. This first entry into their remix series sees two of jacking underground techno's unsung heroes taking turns to offer their take on Skudge's sublime originals. First up, Dutch oddball Aardvarck reworks "Convolution" with skeletal beats playing off against warped vocals and submerged chords, while Detroit's current contemporary master of tracky analogue techno Jared Wilson provides his raw take on "Overture", combining powerfully unfiltered bass and a savage 909 assault.

Review: The second chapter of Skudge remixes hits the digital realm with a suitably classy line up. The inaugural Skudge remix EP housed one of our favourite reworks of 2010 in Aardvarck's relentless regroove of "Convolution" and the same track is reworked here. Marcel Fengler, no stranger to creating a wall of reverberating sound as resident at Berghain, delivers a remix propelled along by a heavy throbbing bass line. Around this, he crafts abrasive tones, piercing kicks and heavily compressed vocal edits that have a distinctly 2-step vibe. Expect a messy dancefloor at the midpoint descent into the bass line throb. Up next veteran techno don Aubrey tackles "Melodrama", reimagining the track as a bustling Basic Channel hypno groove replete with busy percussion, industrial tones, heavily phased vocal snippets and generally harsh bass scratches.

Review: The first of Skudge's expertly handpicked series of artist releases comes from veteran Scottish techno producer Stephen Brown, a man with releases on Transmat and Subject Detroit to his name. This two-tracker displays much the same classic melodicism as those early releases, with "Mini Mood" filtering its chords to perfection, floating above a solid backbone of angular 909 kicks and "Horizontal" smoothing things out with its cloud of warm analogue pads propelled along by scratchy percussion.