- Those only familiar with Blawan's abrasive output could be forgiven for thinking that he keeps his distance from the lean, polished end of the techno spectrum. It's a different story when he's in DJ mode. Even if you've never caught one of his sets, a glance at the tracklist of his FACT podcast from 2011—featuring tracks from the likes of Dino Sabatini, Peter Van Hoesen and Roman Lindau—reveals his penchant for hypnotic, minimalist techno. Save for a small handful of cuts, though, his full-bore productions rarely exhibit this trippy, stripped-back style. Blawan's work with Pariah as Karenn taps into a straightforward and traditional aesthetic, but that sound hasn't featured prominently in his solo work so far. This might be changing with Ternesc, a new label Blawan launched earlier this year with the Warm Tonal Touch EP. Its second release, Hanging Out The Birds, sees the founder turn towards more subtle textures while still pleasing fans of his trademark rough-and-ready sound.
Hanging Out The Birds can be roughly split into two styles: a subdued and hypnotic A-side, and a significantly tougher B-side. Blawan has more success with the former. The title track is slow-moving and well-paced, not much more than a restrained—albeit complex—signature Blawan drum pattern and a few synth sounds. "Mine Oh Mine," the A2, is darker, but similarly pared-down, capped off with a classy, intermittent female vocal. "Weakening Force" and "Diatonic Values" are still a long way from tracks like "Why They Hide Their Bodies Under My Garage" or "6 To 6 Lick," but with grating white noise and a similarly garish overall vibe, they'll likely appeal to anyone still rinsing those cuts.
TracklistA1 Hanging Out The Birds
A2 Mine Oh Mine
B1 Weakening Force
B2 Diatonic Valves