Deep Sound Channel has enjoyed two years of impressive output. As the techno wing of Shipwrec that focus has been on dub, clever club moments and ambient abstraction. The latest duo collect all these divergent elements of DSC.
I first covered Samuel van Dijk as Mohlao half a decade ago. Feeling old… Anyway, van Dijk has been gaining some deserved attention under his electro hood VC-118A but the Mohlao mask hasn’t been donned in four years. Thankfully it doesn’t seem like that latter moniker has been sleeping, instead just leaving the output to slumber. The awakening comes with Neurowaves. “Cladistic Mutation” immediately delves below. Rumbling resonance reverberates and ricochets. Bars blur, fading behind gentle clicks and steel-soldered synths. The ambient washes of the opener melt into the thicker rhythms of “M2.” Steady pulses support wisps of melody, fragments of harmony. Those same broad beats support the rinsed cleanness of “Grain.” The cycle is brought to a close with the globular atmospherics of the title piece. Drums are removed for this finale of aural fog, a musical mist softening all until silence.
Why have one when you can have two? The second installment on DSC in 2015, Next to Nil, sees Von Grall sharing space with Milton Bradley (aka Alien Rain.) The former occupies the A and opens with the intense moods of “Fahr.” The track is cast as a soundtrack. Textures ripple and flow, broad sounds dawning into the in the percussion of “Next to Nil.” A muted piece of hardened electronics, bass, pads and toms are buffeted for a strong second statement. Bradley is up to remix, adding some extra mustard to Von Grall’s entry. Leaden 4/4 pound buttresses lingering undercurrents, seeking synths dissolving under the pressure of thump. The outro comes in the form of “238857 Miles,” clouded samples ending the EP.
DSC has forged itself as a quality techno imprint, one smelted with industrial, drone and dub tones. It has also proven itself as a label that can bring together existing talent, revive masters and unearth new musicians. That latest pair of releases demonstrates this. Absorbing and mindful electronics from beginning to end.
Both releases are available on Deep Sound Channel.
