Spooky industrial vibes come totally good; I love records like this. This was dropped sometime last year, not sure what prompted me to pick it up now, but it hasn’t left the area next to the decks for the few weeks since it arrived. Great Circles label boss Justin Gibbon is here releasing under the name Westov Temple, keeping in line with the battered dusty techno that he’s been curating to date for his hand-stamped imprint.
Messiah Drugs is both the EP and a differentiating track on the four-cut release, though it’s hard to separate the recordings, as the hazy vibe of the record is all encompassing. Mutant techno at it’s best, the washed out filtered sounds are crafted for those end-of-night moments to be pulled upon deep in the mix.
The beats here define a tempo only on key moments across the whole thing, though most notably around the 145bpm title track and ‘Ambassador Seed’, which mysteriously chugs along deceptively around 120 (it feels like 90), hauntingly repetitive but always on edge, a tamer version of some older industrial that’s been missing for a while. To put in to shorter words, it’s machine music that doesn’t follow a template, managing to sound as organic as it does mechanical.
Surprised there’s still some around to be honest, but Rush Hour, Phonica, Norman Records and Juno are all still stocking, despite it’s October 2013 release date.
Wicked video for ‘Ambassador Seed’ below too, check it out then go grab a copy before they really do sell out.