Dark Arts Electronic & Dance 5 Artikel

Pristine sci-fi manoeuvres across 4 killer tracks. Dark hypnotic electro (‘radius’) leads us into the reverb soaked space-house jack of ‘further out’. Flip for the classic tech funk groove of ‘blueshift’ before closing with the remarkable ‘final orbit’, widescreen dub sonics with a sideways glance at the artcore days of DnB. Essential stuff from Dark Arts.

Killer EP of techno-infused electronic excursions from the on-point dark arts imprint. Across it’s 6 tracks we find dark dancefloor gear in the form of ’Drama’ and ‘Far Corner’, with ‘Abstract Science’ touching upon the classic UK-techno blueprint to create something deep, incredibly soulful and a little bit special. The deadly ‘Beneath’ is a moody, spacious broken-beat groove, and the EP is bookended by ‘Something More’ and ‘Orbit:28’, two cinematic cuts of atmospheric electronica. Techno-futurism for the heads - recommended.

With growing support from techno’s finest selectors, this UK label is fast becoming one-to-watch if sci-fi-laden machine music is your bag. Dark arts 06 rolls out with ‘gallery’, a crafty slab of organ-burning techno. To follow, rugged detuned bass throbs throughout the raw but funky as hell stealth-houser ‘spare groove’. The aquatic electro of ‘opaline’ is a delicate, percussion-driven ride until the chest-caving bottom end hits. To finish, ‘atrium’ is a deadly, percussion packed minimal groove - heads down and eyes closed for this tense space jam.

Killer EP of hypnotic late-night techno from the rapidly maturing dark arts imprint. The brooding ‘point blank’ kicks things off, combining twisted low end darkness with eerie orchestral stabs and immense claps – a darkly elegant opening. Next up, ‘panic’ is an essential joint, riding in on a tightly-controlled broken rhythm before a unique, string-heavy motif provides the intrigue. Side 2 opens with the tensile funk of ‘downstream’ – a sleek, driving dancefloor offering to get lost in, with space-aged atmospherics and bristling percussion sitting astride a tunnelling techno groove. Finally the motorik ‘ricochet’ combines submerged dub textures with slinky synth work – a strong closing statement for this towering record. TIP!

Earlier this year, this shadowy label came from nowhere straight onto the globe’s deeper floors, from Panorama Bar to Fabric and many in between. Provoking comparisons with classic UK labels like B12 and Irdial, the EP gained number 1 chartings and found its way into a wide array of DJ boxes, with the likes of DVS1, dbridge, Roger 23, Justin Miller (DFA), Dario Zenker, Deep Space Helsinki, DJ Mourad and Surface’s Nick Dunton all hooked. Dark Arts 02 starts out in deep space with “shimmer” – otherworldly synths snake around an elastic bass line and combine with haunting strings to create a piece of techno that is at once unique, classic and timeless.