- Recording for labels like Idle Hands and Horizontal Ground, Szare is part of a new breed of techno producers committed to stark sounds and general anonymity. And while such an approach isn't exactly unheard of in techno circles, something about Szare (formerly known as 19.26.1.18.5, which apparently rolled off the tongue a bit too easily for their liking) and associates feels particularly current. If "Rochdale Principle," Szare's latest for the upstart Krill Music imprint, is any indication, what sets this sort of techno apart from Berghain-style bangers, the dark journeys of the Italians or brittle meanderings a la SCB is a willingness to move between all three impulses over the shifty playfulness of its beat—a subtle effect that nevertheless gets your feet doing some pretty peculiar things.
At four tracks, "Rochdale Principle" is a bona fide EP, giving Szare ample time to show off some range: for an act about whom so little is known, Szare carves out a surprisingly three-dimensional personality here. Opening with "Nazca," we're eased into a deep, dark place with slow tempos, participatory handclaps and an abundance of swing. As we exit that party, we're led into the woods with "Wild Boar," a tensely contemplative jam splitting the difference between Shackleton and Donato Dozzy. From the onset of "Nell Lane," though, we know we've really arrived: the track is all pulse, with knife-slicing percussion cutting syncopated slices through the boom. "Red Desert" loses the straight kick in favor of rolling bass punches and more than a bit of UK-style steppin', with just the slightest sliver of color sneaking in through the cracks in the beat.
TracklistA1 Red Desert
A2 Nell Lane
B1 Nazca
B2 Wild Boar