The fifth release from Modal Analysis comes from the ever-good Mancunian duo of AnD; a proper stunning plate continuing both parties reputation for wicked lo-fi techno destruction. Furnished with a Russell Haswell remix, and some nice stencilled sleeve design to boot, we’re really digging this record.
Both originals offer up chugging drum machine patterns while distorted acid synths beat against each other and enough overdrive to get a proper reaction. ‘Bow #1’ is your skanky midnight techno vibe, heads down, personal dance space until the beats and bass slowly start fading out. It’s a really cool trick when producers treat a track like a two-platter DJ mix, a nice variation on your standard drops that has the same affect of piercing the listener while keeping the floor moving.
The tactic is echoed on ‘Bow #2’ as well, which is more of your straight techno weapon with the acid lines pulled out even higher and a more relentless tempo throughout.
Russel Haswell’s remix of ‘Bow #1’ offers immeasurable value in balance to the EP as a whole. Not so much a remix, reversioning, resplice or rearrangement as much an exploration of what might have been. Both the originals on the record start off with around a minute of the core skeleton sounds of each track before building in to a proper representation of what the track is. Haswell continues down that path of bare machine music and industrial soundscapes, the difference being that he takes out elements of the track as he introduces new ones. His remix evolves in an oddly pleasant way, in what feels like a completed journey of ideas instead of layering to build up to a song. It’s a brilliant listen, that could’ve been recorded in the style of Pali Meursault or a similar machinist field recorder.
Samples via Soundcloud below, press release underneath that.
via Modal Analysis
‘Bow EP’ comes as the 5th Modal Analysis release, delivering two cutting-edge techno tracks by the Manchester based duo of AnD, as well as a decomposition-remix by Russell Haswell. Bow #1 and Bow #2 highlight the distorted-broken beat style that AnD specialize in. Haswell’s decomposition of Bow #1 manages to blend the techno structure with a creaky sound aesthetic, bringing this way a noise perspective to Bow EP.