Twerk :: Otter EP (Erotus)

Hopefully the playful-yet-meticulous process that served Twerk so well on Otter continues to produce adorable results.

So I’d written this long and probably bullshit summary of the early days of the San Francisco glitch scene — tracing the evolution of artists like Kit Clayton, Safety Scissors and, directly related to this review, Twerk. Drawing what I thought was a rather elegant parallel with the global ‘electronica’ movement, I suggested that innovation in music software circa Y2K pushed artists to make more complex work, and in turn those artists directly pushed the development of the software they used, so tools like Robert Henke/Monolake’s Ableton Live and Cycling74’s Max symbiotically advanced the sophistication of the grooves we listeners received.

But then I somehow quit my editor without saving and the whole thing vanished into the ether.

It’s probably for the best.

The tie-in to the record ostensibly under discussion here, Shawn Hatfield’s four track 12″/EP Otter, was that Hatfield was there in the middle of it, both under his musical guise Twerk and as mastering service AudibleOddities. With collaborations and solo releases on seminal labels Mille Plateaux, Force Inc, and Cytrax, Hatfield forged a dubby, danceable take on the chin-stroking glitchy aesthetic of his peers.

(A quick note on the name: this was way before Big Freedia or Miley Cyrus, when “twerk” described the way scrawny dudes would twitch + jerk in an attempt to dance to IDM, rather than the booty movement we now know as twerkin’.)

But then the mastering took over from the music creation, and it’s only after over a decade’s hiatus that Hatfield drops Otter on Amsterdam’s Erotus label in April 2015. I emailed to ask about the new jams after such a long gap: Was there some sudden inspiration that caused him to record/release this record, or had it been bubbling along on the back burner for a while?

Shawn replied, “It’s true this is the first 12″ in a very long time. My mastering business is a full time job which doesn’t leave much energy to write and record music. But I’ve managed to find a little time here and there, and was able to put together these four songs over the last few years. It really just came down to taking years to find enough time to put together a little bit of music.”

The music is a welcome slab of output. Opener “Aonyx” (according to Wikipedia, this is a kind of clawless otter) is a complex, multi-layered rocker in a dub techno style. It’s faster and more tech-y than a Deepchord release, and that nano-precise Bay Area glitch ensures there’s plenty of ear candy as the track rocks through to conclusion.

“Enhydra Lutris” (the Linnaean designation for the sea otter) is a slower, washed-out piece whose dub stabs and sustained chords play against the microscopic percussion tracks. Hatfield says he chose the release’s name as an homage to his upbringing in the natural surroundings of Northern California: “Having grown up along the coast of California, I’ve had otters in my life since I was a child. It’s their playful nature that fascinates me most, and when coming up with a title for this record, it made sense to call it that as the approach was not serious at all. I wrote these songs in a very playful manner, not really slowing down to obsess too much over any of it.” It works here, providing a mellow and engaging chill-out to close the first side.

The first track on the flip, “Lontra,” picks up the tempo and evokes the heyday of Kompakt/Tresor style microhouse: a 4/4 thump plays against a surgically sliced-up high-hat, while churning, burbling organs lay out an intricate interplay. A whip-sharp crack of a handclap anchors the run-out as this late night slow burner comes to a close. I hesitate to read too much into this, but “Lontra” is the genus of American otter, and perhaps this track can be seen as an American expression of its originally European style.

Finally, “Hydrictis,” the African spotted-necked otter, returns to the dub-techno origins of “Aonyx,” but with a spacier vibe that stretches out over its eight minutes, making it the longest track of the release. Slow evolving chords set the atmosphere, while an abbreviated click-clack serves as the snare/hi-hat foundation. For me this track is where Hatfield’s ongoing work as a top-notch mastering engineer finds fullest expression in his music. There’s a fantastic sense of space and separation among the rhythmic elements, and he uses that balance as a key element of the sound design.

As “Hydrictis” fades into the distance, I’m ready for more; hopefully the playful-yet-meticulous process that served Twerk so well on this release continues to produce adorable results.

Otter becomes available in April 2015 on Erotus.