- The Stuttgart duo strip down their sound to the bare essentials: heavyweight rolling techno.
- SHDW & Obscure Shape already had a good thing going with From Another Mind, the label where the Stuttgart duo had released their larger-than-life yet atmospheric style of techno since 2015. But last year they announced Mutual Rytm, a second label that would open up their world to outside artists. Now the the two are appearing on their newest imprint with a full release for the first time, which takes them somewhere closer to peak-time techno with a healthy coat of gloss.
These tracks feel a little simpler than some of the duo's other work, but they're far from simple. The theme here is vamping chords, including the galloping opener "Turbulence," with its addictive two-note lead, or the even more gratifyingly repetitive "Pulse," which bangs out the same note over and over, on top of a weapons-grade techno rhythm. The best comes at the end of the EP, however, with "Killing Me Softly"—whose big, dubby chords ands light soft focus call to mind Levon Vincent—and the accurately titled "Set It Off," whose ping-pongy melody only grows more ecstatic as the track grows. Only the title track, with its grumbling vocal sample, feels a little by-the-numbers. On "Set It Off" and everywhere else, the duo embrace heavy, functional techno without losing the sense of fun and brightness that separates their work from everyone else's.
Tracklist01. Turbulence
02. Pulse
03. Poetic Justice
04. Set It Off
05. Killing Me Softly
06. Before Susnet