Review: The Ostgut manager Nick Hoppner flexes his production muscles on Seaweed. In its original form, the title track is a chugging affair, its throbbing groove driven by a forceful bassline. The overall sound is dark and foreboding and even the break down is brief, only providing temporary relief from the relentless, heads-down rhythm. Meanwhile, Scott Monteith aka Deadbeat shows why he's one of the finest artists working in the dub-techno sound. His remix of "Seaweed" plunges to even greater depths than the original, its masterful sub-bass underpinning heavy claps, eerie chords and subtle filters that peak and ebb gracefully through the arrangement.
Review: Mike Dehnert arrives on the Echochord Colour series in the midst of a purple patch, having sported various takes on the glowering techno world he occupies, as anyone who has checked recent drops on his own Fachwerk and Clone Basement will testify! The EP opens in fine style with the guttural vocal intonations of "RGS2" cascading in sync with the gloopy bass hits, dragging you down a k-hole of despair until the rasping hi-hat procession arrives and a sense of industrial chaos grows. Flipside, "Bar2" operates around minute rhythmic deviations from the thick set groove - just wait for the sprawling synth line to coax more metallic hi-hat brilliance into action. Fellow Fachwerker Roman Lindau remixes "RGS2" into a growling, scratchy, heads down techno bump.
Review: It would have been difficult to imagine an act as talented as Skudge indefinitely following the approach of their first few EPs. Indeed, as the Swedish duo told Juno Plus in our exclusive interview with them a few months back, their influences and more importantly, their ambitions stretch further than Basic Channel dub techno. That said, "Surplus" doesn't mark a radical change in style, nor does it herald an artistic volte face from the pair. What it does achieve rather craftily however is to subtly push the Skudge sound towards a more wide-ranging place. "Void" is more closely aligned to modern day sounds as its insistent keys build to an acid-tinged, filtered climax. It's Skudge's most accessible track to date and it is likely to appeal to DJs who so far have not played their releases. However, it is unlikely that Skudge will become the preserve of big-room house, something that is reinforced by the remix of "Void". Ironically, Conforce's version is the track most in keeping with the duo's original approach. Based on robust, dubby beats and powered by driving hats, the sick, underlying acid line is a reminder that Skudge's roots are still firmly planted in the underground. Excellent release.
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