Tough, tear streaked proto-electronics with a wave edge. Bitter, raw and now, unearthed. Forgotten echoes by a disenfranchised for a new disenfranchised.
The peripherals can be interesting. They can be hard to find in this internet age, but they are there. When it comes to electronics the margins are generally anywhere away from the epicenters, the perceived hubs. In Europe these would be Germany, The Netherlands, the UK and even Italy to a certain extent. Portugal wouldn’t blip on many radars for those seeking out machine music, but there are shots of growth even in the farthest west of western Europe.
Eye for an Eye Recordings has just been founded by Lisbonite Gonçalo Salgado who some of you may know as Lake Haze. Under this moniker Salgado has dished up ravy retrospections, warped techno and distanced house. Despite having somewhat of a handle of his varied back catalog, I wasn’t prepared for what would debut on his label.
The press release for EFAE001 describes the Lena Muir as “electronic body music on the verge of collapse.” What does this mean? Well you’re in for a dark and moody affair. Steady rhythms support looming clouds and gravelly surfaces of “Experimental Product 1.” Those coarse surfaces become ever grainier as the second track arrives. Beats are bruised and blurred, library sounds bleeding into the exposed concrete. Strings circle, slipping through the cracks of broken samples and dust covered curtains. Profile Horizontal retreats even deeper into this brutalist landscape. Stark drum patterns rumble, a lonesome bass line orbiting a sound devoid of decoration. A pock marked highway comes into view for the finale. “Feral” buzzes and bulges, machines clanking with mechanical fizzes in a track that takes a sideways swipe at traditional.
I’m always interested in a new label, especially those found on the margins. I can’t guess what will be next from Eye for an Eye, but their first is a solid outing. Tough, tear streaked proto-electronics with a wave edge. Bitter, raw and now, unearthed. Forgotten echoes by a disenfranchised for a new disenfranchised.
Untitled is available on Eye for an Eye.
