An artist with a deftness of touch, this Athenean newcomer bridges the gap between the colder side of machine music and warmer shades of electronica and techno with, what appears to be, masterful ease. Hopefully this is only the first release of many from this new talent.
“The last track comes from an unknown entity, unknown to me anyway…Kon001 does much more than an impressive job on “eRbB4,” it outdoes the original. Definitely an artist I will be looking out for.”
Words from my fair younger self there from back in 2015, taken from a review of one of the best electro releases of that year Dj Stingray 313’s Cognition 12” on Lower Parts. t’s a safe assumption to guess you’ve already figured out my favorite piece from the EP, but what’s perhaps more interesting I wasn’t alone. I’d many a chin wag with fellow machine funk friends about kon001 and the incandescent quality shown in the remix. It’s pretty surprising that two years down the line that kon001 is little more known than he was then, a mere single installment in discogs; a single installment until now that is. Leipzig’s Pulse Drift had a similar experience to myself, and others, on hearing the “eRbB4” remake and have finally given up a full twelve inches to this little known Greek musician. The question is, can he live up to the tall billing he has set himself?
The cryptically titled 65489 CETO brings together five tracks of deep and diverse electronics. Aquatic tones and bold basslines introduce the debut EP. “USO” is a beautifully clean and clear track. Sharp beats snap against crystalline melodies and warm undercurrents as a complex work unfolds. BPMs grow in the “Project Lyra 705.” Chords cascade and climb as strings ebb and flow in this absorbing and captivating work. “Evolution” closes the A-Side. The marine motifs of “USO” return, this time the dripping bars are accompanied by a rasping rhythm line. Slowly the track builds, elements rise to replace others as a fragile and uncluttered equilibrium is found. Navy tattoos and muscle arrives on the flip. “Eternal Patrol” sets out its stall from the needle drop. Basslines are ruffled, roughed up and pushed through speaker cones. A strict snare keeps time as audible gasps gulp for air. Amidst these tense and tough textures lances a line, a skewering synth stabbing through seaweed festooned metal fencing. Despite these abrasive bursts, not all is hardened and machine worked. Floating above this interplay of aluminum and oil are radiant strings that illuminate those shining brushed surfaces. The closer sounds like a Drexciyan inspired voyage. Radar bleeps and spiky percussion announce “UW Colony xy70s.” Expanses of shimmering sound are the focus here, underwater caverns punctuated by glimmers of light and sheer walls of rhythm.
kon001 made quite a first impression when he first landed on Lower Parts. He’s now making an even bigger second impression. An artist with a deftness of touch, this Athenean newcomer bridges the gap between the colder side of machine music and warmer shades of electronica and techno with, what appears to be, masterful ease. Hopefully this is only the first release of many from this new talent.
65489 CETO is available on Pulse Drift.
