The 12” is electro of the frostier faction but there are moments of warmth coming through to thaw the chill. Dark and bitter sounds from the deepest recesses of the machine minded.
In its short existence Lunatic has managed a wide range of releases. Synth Pop. Wonky techno. Crumpled acid. Even some leftfield house. This trend towards the unknown is being carried into their latest outing with an EP of electro centered sounds.
One name will leap from the inner sleeve. Luke Eargoggle (Lukas Karl Pettersson) hasn’t been as prolific as he once was but the Swede is undeniably one of the godfathers of stripped down mechanical machine music in Europe. But for those with an electro eye there are other names that will cause a stir: Kan3da (Karl Henrik Skagius), of Records, and Weltwirtschaft (Karl Lihagenal).
Karl is a 12” of, well, Karls. Karls from Sweden. Karls collaborating to be more exact, the first between Eargoggle and Kan3da. “Icelandic Lady” is cold and driving. Terse beats propel the piece forward, bars ducking and diving beneath the arctic currents. The only individual work sees Kan3da reinterpreting a work of Pettersson’s. “Ocean Movers” originally came out on Crème Organization in 2006. The Faceless Mind track is given a biting face-lift. Frost covered and metallic, the track removes man from the equation with the only link to flesh being the distorted words. “Die Ganze Welt” is a less ferocious affair. BPMs drop as a honeyed harmony plinks, the warmer side of colder electronics on show. “Astra” appears to come from nowhere. Female vocals, warbling synth pop cut by claps. For the finale Eargoggle and Kan3da give Jennifer Touch’s original a cold shoulder and sly shove.
Karl has shown another side of Lunatic. The 12” is electro of the frostier faction but there are moments of warmth coming through to thaw the chill. Dark and bitter sounds from the deepest recesses of the machine minded.
Karl is available on Lunatic.
