techno

Excellent EP of relentless and woolly techno from Day of Noise alum Brian B. James. Noisy, usually propulsive, often 4/4, but with significant forays into breakbeats, and tons of dark atmosphere. Parsimonious in the elements it uses, but not "minimal" (or not as sleek as most of what gets tagged that way). Music to soundtrack a doomed chase or an artfully rendered bit of ultraviolence.

RIYL: Vatican Shadow, Randomer, Sigha

favorites: 3, 4, 2, 1, any/all good

FCCs: none i can hear, but some of the vocals are pretty buried.

1 - port holes - 4:09 - cracking kicks with little decay and thrumming noisy atmospheric bassline. clicky syncopations fold in, as well as a disorienting midrange "melody" of sorts. all sorts of little metalic sounds and disembodied voices enter in the background. propulsive snare syncopation for a bit just after the midpoint, but not for too long, prominent 4/4 metallic clank later in the track. short fade to burbling static at the end.
2 - prayer for lamb - 4:45 - slowly rising breakbeat, far off in the static, gets closer, but as it gets closer/louder the fog gets thicker too. scratchy electro textures throughout. nervy and anxious, but with a certain subdued reserve. rhythm gets a bit more propulsive in the second half, without getting louder or more in your face, kicks slowly fade out in last minute as ambience takes over.
3 - quantum tongues - 4:41 - thrumming 4/4 kicks suspended in acrid acid tones. distant voice reading what sounds like religious text (or a sermon)? takes off and gets pushier after the first minute. kicks get clearer again (and aided by snares) around 2:00, clicky breakdown in the middle slowly builds up energy for the home stretch.
4 - apparati defunct - 4:07 - sticky tumbling kicks. disembodied voices, echoed and farther away and less intelligible than before. clicky syncopations threaded threaded throughout, rough acid textures ebb and flow. foreboding wind (or breath?) sounds throughout in background, touches of glitch towards the end.