In which we break down the shorter releases of Netlabel Day 2015.
[Ed Note: Chris P. is re-joining The CerebralRift with a new series of articles called Firing Line. In this series Chris will be compiling, short, quick reviews of single and short EP releases from around the netlabel world.]
Somber – Torrential / Plate Tectonics [Sublimated Sounds]:
High-energy low-light soundtrack to a night in the city, blurred faces and traffic lights everywhere you look. No frills, no nonsense, kicks and basslines that hit with the force of a baseball bat. Great candidate to represent the darker side of UK dubstep. 8/10
Oneirich – Netlabel Day 2015 EP [The Kult of O]:
Side A gives enough drone to relax and enough volume to keep things interesting, without many frills involved. If the sine waves on side B had more growl, it would be a witch house track, but the furious noise from the first track returns as support. Lovely, if a touch mentally exhausting. 7/10.
Neural – Pulsar (Single) [Temiong Recordings]:
The minimal house sound is proving hard to wear out. Neural makes every second of this track shimmer, from the cautiously plinking chords to the chime of a soft ride cymbal. Carefully sits on the fence between casually danceable and something to help quiet a restless mind. 9/10
Mr. Hoosteen – 2014 [OMEAC]:
“E.D.M.” says it all. Two hard-hitting electro house jams with remixes of both on the B-side. Killer sample manipulation by Hoosteen himself, but the remix of “Chevalier” brings it almost to the point of disorientation. Still, the A-side should be heading for the house playlists of small clubs everywhere; it’s too energetic to ignore. 8.5/10
Mas&Delayer – Stay Away Please [Ephedrina]:
Side A is for the walk home after a bad show, dripping with tension and a touch of noisy angst. Side B is a cup of instant coffee, contemplative without asking too many outright questions, and calming the tension of side A. Prog-techno? Sure, but that doesn’t always mean what we want it to mean. 9/10
Cairo Braga – Thanatos [Elegant Elephant]:
Two bedroom-pop tracks backed with a fair helping of electronics. Up-tempo with lyrics that manage to avoid being sugary. On the titular track, he quips: “Art is the best way to make a living/Art is a tormentor, art is unforgiving.” Unforgiving, sure, but the guitar timbre on the cover of Girls’s “Lust For Life” tells us that it’s always worth it. 7.5/10
5o9 – Disconnect [Amblis Records]:
One track, five genres, clocks in at just over eight minutes and doesn’t waste a second. Flashes of inspiration from the rarer side of the BoC catalog (Eerie drones from XYZ, bassline reminiscent of Sequoia). Soundcloud calls it synthpop, but calling anything with this much depth “pop” doesn’t quite do it justice. 9/10