Following his recent Roland TB-303 experiments for Absurd and his understated reworking of Scuba's "The Hope," Berlin's Recondite sticks with Hotflush for two tracks of tech-leaning house that are pregnant with mood and atmosphere. "DRGN" is an exercise in allowing a record space to breathe. Starting with a stiff breeze rushing through it, with crackling sonic interference for company, it unfurls into a menacing, snarling, wobbling techno dirge. As on On Acid, the acidic influence is still there, albeit so subtle that you may miss it on a casual listen, disguised here by the stretched-out nature of the vibrating bass note.
In contrast, the more restrained "Wist 35" sounds like some 21st Century take on a John Carpenter horror film soundtrack, all arpeggiated synth bells and ethereal wind chimes tinkling in the early morning air. That stiff digital breeze from the lead track? It's now gone up a notch on the Beaufort scale to moderate gale. Don't listen to it alone.
Buy Recondite - DRGN at
  
Tracklist: Recondite - DRGN
 A DRGN
B Wist 365
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