Katabatik’s at it with some new industrial styled releases that should find a place on the dance floor as well as your favorite BDSM/dayglo green lit club.
Atlea’s I is a mixture of industrial, synth pop and minimal techno. “At War” sounds a bit like vintage Proem with some vocoder thrown in plus a bit of zapping synth drums. “Push” chugs along in an almost net-acid dubstep groove reminiscent of Haujobb circa 1999. Vocals are buried in vocoded waves and beats are fresh, crisp and snappy. It’s a good album for some pre-party bopping before doling out the big guns like Clark or Amon Tobin.
Who Are You by Scarford is almost like Schooly D stopped off in Bristol for a few years and hung with old school industrialists. It’s an old-school industrial affair reminiscent of the revivalist efforts of High Functioning Flesh. “Who Are You” pumps along with thick backbeats strapped to claps and kicks while bass synths grumble, and arpeggios buzz like insects sampled dialogue provides a dark atmosphere. “Facsimilie” sounds like someone stole Front 242’s synth library and ran it over with Nitzer Ebb’s programming style; it’s a nice effort but doesn’t do anything particularly new during its 5:21 length. The tracks are cleanly produced while openly showing their influence.
Identity Theft’s Pierrot is a bit more acid-y in its execution, as if the Cee-Phax crew drank some tainted ayahuasca and returned from their trip with the spirit of Bob lodged in their brains. “Pierrot” is a steady banger with 303 style bass and thin, cold synths. “BCNU” uses reverse piano samples and burbling synths to usher in an aura of darkness then develops into something a lot like recent Clock DVA. “Wait’s” samples from an Edison cylinder stumble into a 909 kick snare stomp that throbs into very ravey, almost soca/calypso territory.
All releases are available on Katabatik.
