Magnum Opus
Area Zero
Mosaique Records
South America’s (and specifically Columbia’s) EBM scene hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down since it began making waves well outside of its native climes several years ago. With releases on and collabs with familiar names like Pildoras Tapes and Ravetop, respectively, Bogotá’s Felipe Novoa, AKA Magnum Opus, has the sort of pedigree that should be prompting savvy DJs to be mining new EP Area Zero. They’ll be served well with four tracks tingle with a hint of psychedelic atmosphere while also delivering heavy techno kicks, as on “Ascension”. The specific execution of Area Zero‘s production touches both on modern finesse as well as the rougher and sleazier charm of vintage EBM. Never sounding forcibly old-school nor uncannily smoothed over, there’s a no-frills approach to the whole affair. That does lend to a little bit of repetition and sameness in both BPM and structure which is a bit surprising for a release this short, but no one of the tracks really feels weaker in comparison to any of its fellows. As mentioned, this sort of release is aimed for DJ listening and play, and body music selectors should have some fun sourcing whichever one or two of these cuts gets them itching to mix.
Hex Wolves
Bad Actor
Valley Electroniks
Santa Cruz producer Hex Wolves has been making industrialized techno since before the sound had its recent spurt of popularity, digging deep into the noisier, grittier sounds of the style with nary a care for mass appeal or courting playlist popularity. Yeah, the songs on Bad Actor have that shadowy, basement club feel to them, both hypnotic as on the chattering phaser driven synthlines of “Lack of Evidence” or punishing, as on the atonal bad trip inducing “Field of Flesh” where pitched up vocal samples and shuffling drums create intensely anxious vibes that never let up. The remixes of the latter track by FOTISMO and Spheric take the track and respectively more manic and laid-back-but-sinister directions, but it’s the closer “Temporary Sleeve” that wins the prize for most unsettling; the busy cymbal work and blocky bass are almost funky, until the waves of plonky metallic keys and typewriter percussion that clatter into the track at its midway point suddenly recast the track in a nastier light, as in the one lurching down the tracks towards you from the other end of the tunnel. This EP is never nasty for its own sake, but its no less unnerving for that.
