Unfair dismissal in lazy, critical press reviews confusingly citing imitations of Autechre, Aphex Twin, Plaid and Boards of Canada greeted
Brothomstates debut releases Qtio and Claro on Warp back in 2000. Yet despite being released in the shadow of other, more heavy-weight Warp artists work, these two releases are among the finest issued by Warp in recent years.
Oddly, Warp seem to give the impression that they agree with the critics to a certain extent. They’ve done very little to promote or release new Brothomstates material despite the fact that a hefty cache of it apparently exists.
Almost as if dismissed as a minor attraction, this new (and sadly only 2 track) EP has been granted a vinyl-only release (already limiting it’s audience and appeal, not to mention media-exposure) on Warp’s new and more dancefloor-oriented Arcola label. ARC004 is receiving much praise and is referred to, even rather patronizingly by Warp themselves, as Brothomstates finest work to date.
It isn’t.
It’s a fantastic EP, and certainly the finest 12″ in the Arcola series so far. But it’s easily on par with the classic Qtio and Claro in terms of quality. Lassi Nikko is a formidable talent as beautifully crafted tracks like “Qtio,” “Kava” or “Viimo” effortlessly attest, blending as they do tightly controlled and highly complex construction with evocative atmosphere and infectious melody.
However, this EP is something of a shift in tone from previous releases, partially justifying it’s place on the Arcola label and is proof of Nikko’s versatility. Rktik will be familiar to anyone who heard the Warp Pool Party mix mp3 that was doing the rounds last year and the track appears on this EP in full. It’s a constantly building mixture of cracked and digitally damaged percussion, highly charged beats and reverberating melodic synths that evolves into an acid bassline led thumper of a dancefloor number.
The real triumph of this 2 tracker, however, is “Matala Bobo.” This wonderful concoction combines Chicago house styled, looped vocals, weighty bass, shards of echoing percussion and sublime, silk-screened synth pads and washes all exhaled through a fine gauze of distortion.
Now that Warp have kindly presented us with Bleep.com you can also download this fantastic EP from there too.
Like all Brothomstates releases this is, quite simply, essential.
Rktic is OUT NOW on Arcola.
