14 May 2019

Malik Faquir - Nas Tranquilitas

Smart bone-dry percussive grooves on this latest track from the Mozambique-born producer Malik Faquir. The subby square-wave bass in the drop makes this track a delight.

Malik Faquir - Nas Tranquilitas EP is out now on Deep Tech Records [BUY]

Vacuum is the standout track on the new EP from Osaka-born Atsushi Izumi. The whole EP is a spectacle of dark distorted synths, sine wave sub bass, and industrial percussion combined together with impeccable precision. I'm amazed at how such a rich and complex track maintains sonic balance with each sound perfectly placed in the spectrum. Atsushi Izumi's skills are impressive, not just technically - even though the track is dark and experimental it retains its musicality. For example, there's an offbeat percussive refrain that enters at 3:00 is then played with a softer sound during the breakdown and then drops out while a hi-hat echoes the pattern before the original refrain begins again. It's details like this that anchor the listener within the track while the rest of the synth stabs and syncopated kick drums swirl around them.

With this EP, Atsushi Izumi is one to watch.

Atsushi Izumi - Verdigris EP is out on May 17 on Thrènes Records [PREORDER]

Caution: this detuned synth riff is gonna get stuck in your head. Amato is a pseudonym for French producer The Hacker and on Mecanismes Vol. 1 EP they get to take things in more industrial direction. As you would expect from any Pinkman release, the production is gorgeous (listen to how that snare sits in the mix!) but it's all the little percussive details around the main riff that really make this track stand out to me.

Amato - Puissance Industrielle is out now on Pinkman [BUY]