Greece is cultivating a new generation of artists with quite a unique sound; one with youthful iconoclastic vision without forgetting past wave pioneers. Morah is one of this generation and his latest audio message is one of abrasion, harshness and guttural intent.
My first exploration of Greek electronic music came with the uncovering of Eirkti, a great imprint focusing on obscure wave and synth releases. I soon discovered more. Echovolt Records and its rich seam of diverse electronics, June and his forays into house, synth wave and now industrial, and of course Lower Parts with their brand of homegrown debauchery. Lux Rec seem to be following a similar path with their June’s recent unveiling of his Prosopo moniker. The Swiss label have chosen another Greek man for their latest. With releases on Helena Hauff’s Return to Disorder and the sometimes controversial but always interesting Berceuse Heroique (whose owner is…Greek), Lux introduces Morah with his third EP: You’ll Never Understand.
The style being pursued is hard and raw. Niceties are left outside, in the rain. The three tracks are red meat eating, beer guzzling brutes. Mechanics are laid bare. Soiled thump and distortion as corrosive chords slice out a melody. “Around You, Around Me” occupies the A-Side. A muscular beast, bass lines are fed a mutating meal of steroids as they bulge into acidic spikes. Claps clatter and samples moan in this sinister first installment. Morah isn’t afraid of going into the red, riding into speaker bleed with the intense and menacing “Don’t Tear My Soul Apart.” And this could summarize the entire EP, it is a record of intense and menacing music where threat and violence are always present. There’s an EBM thread running through the 12” as well, the strained strings employed hark back to Belgium’s heyday. This is most noticeable in the epic closer, the grizzliest of all entries: “It’s Been A Long Time.” With a forked tongue the track hypnotizes, clashing noise buried into shrill static for a strangely gripping finale.
On the cover of You’ll Never Understand is an image of destruction and degradation, the remnants of what looks to be a traditional home. Emblazoned on the wall of that former house is a slogan, Athens is the new Berlin. All a bit of fun, but there’s something to it. No, Athens isn’t going to become the home of techno tourism; not tomorrow anyway. However, Greece is cultivating a new generation of artists with quite a unique sound; one with youthful iconoclastic vision without forgetting past wave pioneers. Morah is one of this generation and his latest audio message is one of abrasion, harshness and guttural intent.
You’ll Never Understand is available on Lux Rec.
