Patricia Kokett Psykhe

Patricia Kokett follows up two critically-acclaimed esoteric techno releases on Knekelhuis (Bizarr [2020], Diabel [2018]) with a new EP – Psykhe – to be released by Isla to Isla on the 25th of april 2023 as a 12” vinyl and digital.

Psykhe sees Lithuanian musician and composer Gediminas Jakubka continuing to explore his distinct sound, but taking it in a new direction: a step away from the euphoric new age dance floor and into a significantly murkier, more precarious territory. Psykhe is meant as a sonic simulacrum of the artist's psyche during the pandemic – a quickened mind bred by a decelerated world. In that and other senses, the record is a modern take on the ‘80s/’90s Detroit ethos of dance music created for an illusory dance floor.

Incidentally (or not!), Psykhe is much more electro-based and darker – intent on delivering catharsis, but not euphoria. Das Risiko starts us off with a eurotrance-infused, punchy electro beat, housing a nostalgic melody and driven forward by a raw, ever-mutating bassline. Throughout this and other tracks on the record, we hear Kokett exploring his love for disembodied voices. On Sangre Seraph, their ghostly presence is felt strongly as they take center-stage in a sequence that feels almost Sleazy-esque. The wistful synths guide us into Love Your Ghosts – an electrific banger slathered in dreamy whalesong and a fitting companion for the just-before-dawn 4x4 vibes of Khaoss, forming the emotional peak of Psykhe. The closer, Eunuchy, epitomizes the record with its soft (and somewhat sad) kosmische background, accentuating a strong rhythmic core.