Drums rain down, battering into a bulwark of bass as a bludgeoning techno beast takes form. Moody and malignant, the EP has a haunting and haunted quality.
TH ± Tar Hallow has managed to hammer its way into my head. With its no nonsense, pile driving style from a deviant crew of contorted machine criminals. A new mug shot has been added to the list, Rhyw turns to the left for the fifth installment on this Dutch delinquent.
The name might not be known, but Alex Tsiridis is; the Greek artist being well known for his work on a plethora of labels (Prologue and Killekill to name but two) as Cassegrain with Hüseyin Evirgren. The diversity of that partnership is plain to hear on this solo outing. Four tracks of shifting techno make up the EP. “Climbing Frame” is a slow burning work. A dark EBM current runs through the piece, drums crashing into acid tinted basslines. An unsettling seam crosses the 12”, something difficult to pin down but nevertheless present. “Cluster of Females” stumbles across a smoke filled room. The track is disorientating, staggering on a seesawing melody with beats providing the necessary ballast to prevent all from tipping over. “Steak Tartare” has a similar condition. A hazy mist of melody circles the track, one shrouded in distortion with the snap of a gritted snare leading the way. “Skull to the Chest” doesn’t suffer from the same uneasy malaise. Drums rain down, battering into a bulwark of bass as a bludgeoning techno beast takes form.
Rhyw’s sound is less ferocious than previous bloodshot outbursts on TH ± Tar Hallow. Now that´’s not saying that there isn’t a fair amount of wallop behind it. Instead this latest offering comes from a more psychological leaning. Moody and malignant, the EP has a haunting and haunted quality.
Rhyw is available on TH ± Tar Hallow.
