Halvtrak :: Digital Dawn EP (Cold Blow)

Digital Dawn marks a noticeable shift from his previous outing on Cold Blow, Glass Movers, with the influence of house being more understated on this recent addition.

Textured bass with a flourish of techno

Halvtrak has been releasing for decade. Countering the quality of his releases is productivity, a handful of 12”s and tapes across imprints like Bakk, Don’t Be Afraid and Topic Drift has meant that the Finnish artist has remained in obscurity. Thankfully, this undeniable talent has been coaxed back to Cold Blow with his second EP coming almost five years to the day on the London/Helsinki outfit.

Digital Dawn opens with the bright broken beats of “X-Pressed.” The joy of 90s rave nostalgia is amplified by bruising basslines, playful stabs and throwback samples in this tongue-in-cheek ode to the floor. “Rhythm Overture” follows. Clean beats give way to wobbly acid undercurrents and reverb rinsed keys. The track is constructed in layers of dance music history, echoes of bleep, house and even a touch of trance combining. Influences continue to merge into new audio experiences with “Phase Distorshun” introducing the flip. A burbling percussive brew rumbles above silken synth-lines as a vocoder voice keeps time. The track is extremely hard to pin down with disparate aspects coming together in off-balance harmony. Arguably the most thought-provoking piece is left until the end. Clever energetic drum programming remains, as does the single note bleep like motif, in “Doubt.” Sweetened melodies are accompanied by textured bass with a flourish of techno coming to the surface in this fantastic close.

Although Halvtrak might not appear on record shop shelves as often as he should, there is no doubt that the Finnish producer is busy honing his skills. Digital Dawn marks a noticeable shift from his previous outing on Cold Blow, Glass Movers, with the influence of house being more understated on this recent addition. There’s also a reinvigorated bravery coming through on this four tracker, risks are being taken that allow for new ideas and sounds to take root and develop.

Digital Dawn is available on Cold Blow. [Bandcamp]