The ashen moodiness of Hayter, the inflamed energy of Mr Beef, the juddering anti-pop darkness of Stranded Wires, all bring their own unique slant to an imprint that continues to expand its musical base and excite its audience.
Full, fat electro funk
Clear Memory are two releases in and their intentions are pretty clear—full, fat electro funk. With a rich seam of local talent at its disposal, the Leipzig label has excited since dropping its first compilation in 2019. The year may have changed but the chosen various artists format has not with the third four-tracker still warm from the pressing plant.
Mr. Beef is up first. An artist who has only ever featured on compilations, with his last in 2012, the Clear Memory man appears to have come out of retirement for “Ziel Verfehlt.” The offering is a well bawdy beast. Razor sharp rhythms are further honed by a bass heavy backdrop, blistering pulses of melody elbowing their way through heavy distortion. Late night atomic. Hayter, of Westlake & Hayter and Projekt Eins fame, delivers his “Favorite Dish.” The track is jagged with a raw industrial edge, calling to mind the balaclava clad wave of Le Syndicate Electronique from the early 2000s. The flip sees new collaborations formed. Yarn Init, Int Main and Varum, maintain harsh tones. “Blind Step” speeds on lines of rasping rhythm, samples circling as melodies shatter into piercing shards. Stranded Wires, Int Main and Robyrt Hecht, close with the frigid funk of “No Trix.” Vocal snippets jitter and flex as drums menace in this sinister finale.
Clear Memory are growing their roster and their styles. Although the parred back mechanics of electro is still at the heart of the label’s sound, a spread of influences are also coming to the fore. The ashen moodiness of Hayter, the inflamed energy of Mr Beef, the juddering anti-pop darkness of Stranded Wires, all bring their own unique slant to an imprint that continues to expand its musical base and excite its audience.
Clear Memory 003 is available on Clear Memory.
