K2 (Kero & Kyle Hall) – ‘Two’ EP [Detroit Underground]

Damn, this seems to have barely lasted a second, though some stores still seem to be waiting on initial stock from last month so you might be in luck. Been sitting on it since last month but finally got it on deck and was reminded again while Kyle Hall is modern poster boy for Detroit house music.

And that’s probably not a fair introduction to this record given that K2 is actually a collaborative project with Kero, the cat behind Detroit Underground, and a prolific producer and DJ by his own right. Man’s been pushing the boat out on sounds for time. His decades releasing tracks and curating the label have seen him venture techno and beats in to all sorts of territories and definitions, and establish himself as a main creative not only for the recorded music but also the aesthetic and live aspect of the scene.

In short it’s a big pairing, with both artists always keen to expand their sound crafting. The Zug Island 12″ in 2012 was the first taste, with two decent sized cuts released on Wild Oats to much acclaim. And two years later they’ve decided to do it again, this time naming themselves K2 and putting forward an EP of four tracks.

Perfect machine music in my opinion, based in the electro sounds that we expect from the Motor City’s history. The bass and synths are warm but compressed to 8-bit Nintendo standards, and the drums are clean and perfectly positioned. The end result is an elevated trip down a nostalgic path of digital sounds, designed in a modern format for the club.

The whole thing’s even delivered in a quality screen-printed sleeve from The Designer’s Republic, in limited (at least for these two producers) numbers. It’s a very good looking record. Read about it below, then get on it quick, as there’s only a handful still kicking around, last seen at Piccadilly.

via Detroit Underground

From the ruins of the birthplace of techno, Detroit Underground’s twenty third release reunites Detroit producers Kero & Kyle Hall for their sophomore effort, appropriately titled TWO. Building on the toxic, dubbed out neo-acid of 2012’s Zug Island/K2 Attack single, TWO features four tracks from the city’s established master of left field beats and Detroit Techno’s brightest new star, with the pair of each produced in each other’s studios in Windsor and Detroit respectively.

Beginning with 126BPMNONAME’s crisp beats, spare atmosphere and wonky 909 grooves, the EP’s A side culminates in the full out rocking EP2-3, driven by a strong and infectious digital riff.

Side B by comparison offers two club use tracks in Polydextrose and RIVERSIDE CONNEXTION, which reflect contemporary electronic music’s current fascination with outsider production, 1980s wave music, while still delivering a pulsing and relentless dance floor beat.

If the music weren’t attraction enough, TWO also marks the beginning of a new collaboration between the heavily design engaged Detroit Underground and The Designer’s Republic. As part of Atoms Vectors Pixels Ghosts™ activity TDR™ are renewing their collaboration with the American Detroit Underground label with an ongoing series of collectable AVPG™ 7” / 12” vinyl covers. Every limited edition is based on the same two original AVPG™ screenprinted in different combinations using different metallic /raised inks / processes / materials to create a series of designs, each unique to its release.