Trying to pin down this newcomer is no easy feat. No one genre fits the mould set by this brave machine musician, making his sound vibrant and vivid. A thought provoking EP by a new talent on a label that I’ve no doubt I’ll encounter again, and this time not by chance.
It’s a good thing to frequent record stores. Obvious, yes; but we don’t always go for the obvious. It was a while back now I was in El Almacén de Discos buying a few odds and ends when the debut 12” of a new Madrid based imprint was proffered as something that might be of interest. The record was a compilation on Noise To Meet You, a collection of synth scented electro cuts by mainly unknowns. Since then this six tracker has found its way back on to my turntables again and again.
Serendipity brought me to the label again, running into the owner at a recent Mynationshit gig here in the Spanish capital. Luck would have it he had a spare copy of the freshly pressed second EP under his arm, a vinyl debut from EBE-2.
Broad sonic strokes float above brittle beats to introduce the title piece. Squelchy stabs squirm their way through these lofty lines to blur boundaries and expectations. And expectations are something to leave aside with Waves of Time. EBE-2 adheres to no central style. Elements of braindance, electro and techno are borrowed, shaped and reformed to fit the idea on offer. Take the playful acid curves and frigid shades of “The Cave Of Stingrays” or the elegant pads and heavy kick of “Coast To Coast,” a range of influences and inspirations combine to create a sound that harks back in time while maintaining a firm ear on the present. “Son Of Kronos” comes to life with the breathy tones and upbeat rhythms in a piece that adopts echoes of rave anthems and glow sticks. A colder countenance takes hold with the frosted drums and glassy chords of “Unleashed.” The closer, “Spheres,” pulls together all the different musical strands of the record. Devil-may-care percussion speeds against a cityscape of arching strings and dizzying angles.
Trying to pin down this newcomer is no easy feat. No one genre fits the mould set by this brave machine musician, making his sound vibrant and vivid. A thought provoking EP by a new talent on a label that I’ve no doubt I’ll encounter again, and this time not by chance.
Waves of Time is available on Noise To Meet You.
