Since its inception in 2009, the Horizontal Ground imprint has ploughed a fresh and inviting furrow through the murky terrain of industrial techno. The label's roster has become fairly well entrenched of late, with AnD, Skirt and Szare taking it in turns to contribute. Its twelfth release is supplied by a newcomer in the form of Berlin-based Samuel Kerridge—who, it transpires, is perhaps the most singular talent the label has yet exposed.
The four tracks which make up Auris Interna are gloomy, ramshackle constructions, sounding as if pitched down almost beyond the point of comprehensibility: a formula which has more in common with someone like Andy Stott than with the crisp precision of, say, a Szare production. But the tone is Horizontal Ground through and through: greyscale, dark and oppressive, but not overly hung up on its own portentousness. "inANDout" sees great gusts of sound assaulted by a kick drum so low, flaccid and distorted that it seems to drift out of time, the whole thing periodically overwhelmed by great craggy walls of subbass. "Auditory System" is more church-like in tone, its slow-mo stomp overlaid with stuttering percussive textures. Just as we think we've got its measure though, the beat regroups around a growling bassline whose lazy, imprecise contours seem almost sardonic in tone.
"Remove Yourself" is the punchiest of the four, pairing woody percussion with angry bursts of distorted bass which threaten to unhinge the rhythm entirely, while the quivering synth tones that occasionally howl across its surface are deliciously dread-inducing. Finally, "Membranous Labyrinth" is threaded through with a scorched, almost unbearable drone for its first half; eventually the noxious clouds disperse and we're left with a pitch-black dub techno roller. Whatever forms he chooses, the elegance and originality with which Kerridge tackles them is stunning.
Buy Samuel Kerridge - Auris Interna at
Tracklist: Samuel Kerridge - Auris Interna
 A1 In and Out
A2 Auditory System
B1 Remove Yourself
B2 Membranous Labyrinth
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