2015 has already been a diverse year for Shipwrec. Boiled techno. Belligerent house. Sleek electro and even electronica. Lesser known names have been given vinyl space, experienced artists brought back to wax. The latest comes from the up and coming camp. Outer Reaches is by a mysterious alumnus of Belgium’s WeMe; The Valley and the Mountain.
A lone clap supports a warbling acid line as “Uncharted Systems” takes hold. Samples echo in a stark yet engaging piece. “Detxploit”—with voices of Wayne County Sheriff, and former Detroit mayoral candidate, Benny Napoleon—stuttering electro undercurrents support the samples, 303 burbles weaving amongst the strong comments. TVTM have, dare it be said, quite a unique sound. There’s 90s tinge to their style, and the infamous TB303 is a mainstay, but their combining of cold with warmth is really refreshing and different. Take “Chasing Magnetic Particles.” The track stammers through arpeggios whilst soft bars and beats flutter. Autumnal frost giving way to spring chills. “Rockfall” simply radiates. Broad chords are answered with delicate key changes, fuzzed out drums crashing into a lush reverberating wall. The final blurring of the lines comes with the title piece. Snippets of conversation faded into the indecipherable, notes bending and rinsing against a rudimentary snare.
TVTM’s fourth 12” has done them (him?her?) proud. A bulwark of mixed styles is constructed on which the gamut of electronics is pinned, reworked and re-arranged. The core feels like electro, but it isn’t. It might be techno at its heart, but it ain’t. There’s definitely acid in there, that’s a cert. An EP at the Outer Reaches of definition, and one that will impress.
Outer Reaches is available on Shipwrec.
