Datacide 16 Record Reviews by Low Entropy

Reviews by Low Entropy for Datacide 16, 2017

14anger & Dep Affect
Evasive Crapspeak EP
[Badmouth003]

14anger is Clément Perez, who is far from being an unknown man of the french hard electronic scene, known for his contributions to the now defunct magazine Signal Zero for example.
This is less about his Hardcore roots, but violent Hard Techno. He teams up with Travis Evans aka Dep Affect for this release.
The first track, Evasive Crapspeak, definitely digs up some french memories, think of some of the works by Laurent Hô or Manu Le Malin for example.
Followed by a remix by Dep Affect, which puts his own spin to this tune, a bit of extra aggression.
Prayers To Broken Stones is less frontal, but more hypnotic instead. The EP ends on Jericho, my favorite pick of this release, an all-out assault on the nerves via bassdrums and noize.

Umwelt
Days Of Dissent
[BOIDAE 001]

Umwelt is a project that was started in the 90s already, but as far as i know it was not until recent years he really appeared from ‘under the surface’.
My sources also tell me most of his tracks are one-shot affairs, arranged and recorded life during sessions of sonic experientation (could this be true?).
At first glimpse an electro affair, what sticks out for my is the very dark atmosphere, many times riddled with future themed samples, and especially a very strong melody work of compositions that is often – to me – lacking even with most of his peers.
Although he probably comes from a way different background, there are similiarities to the works of Somatic Responses or Fischkopf (Lasse Steen) for me to be found here.
My personal favorite picks on this album include Company Of Lies, a truly distorted, menacing beat+synth workout and the title track Days Of Dissent itself, a kind of a dystopic beatboy breakdown vision.
With tracks like World Shatters, a 4/4 workout, he shows he can step out of his producer ‘comfort zone’ too.
Generally, if you like dark soundscapes, or well-produced and above all smart electronics, this might be worth a listen.

Vinzenz Raindeer
Warteschleifmaschine
[Self-Released]

I almost know nothing about this project; Jean Bach mentioned it, and i had to check it out. And it is definitely comparable – if it is comparable – to the releases of the Jean Bach label family.
Odd german singing with minimal and experimental electronic, somewhere between mock schlager, lofi trash electronics and minimal grooves. But never coming up as pretentious or lost-in-meaninglessness as so many of the “electronic self-ironic” projects possess (a plague in germany).
My pick on this record is 99 Runden Im Clownsauto, a song about, well, driving 99 laps in a clown car.

Casketkrusher & The Manipulator
Power Up
[TOTAL 021]

Artists are looking back to the early techno and house sounds; and while most go rather for the more intelligent and “industrial” releases of the 90s, there is also a resurgent interest in, well, brutally honest rave sounds.
Casketcrusher is the main man in this phenomena, combining everything from oldschool breakbeat stacks to 909 gabber affairs.
If both genres never interested you at all; well i guess it’s not your cup of tea then. but i think with a bit of ironic intent and one or two smiles, this is definitely listenable, and if you missed all this strange rave oddness of other days, give it a try.

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