- After July's I Feel Like Riot single on NonPlus, Redshape returns to his Present label and finishes 2015 with a second two-tracker, the ravey bleep techno of Bleep Repeat. He boosts the energy here, at least compared to the mellow mechanizations of his previous record, and it's a strong look for the Berliner. 303s, breakbeats, sci-fi synths and old-school sample fare color these raucous jams, making for a couple productions that get hyped on classic approaches. It's probably the most fun music we've ever heard from Sebastian Kramer.
The A-side works itself into a frenzy over two minutes, piling on slippery bass sequences, drum machine percussion and contrasting vocal bits until the mix swells to capacity. After the breakdown launches the thing back into a full bore, you expect it to hit a noisy peak, so it's a sign of experience that Kramer brings things to a boil without it overflowing. "Paper Blades" is restrained by comparison—breaks stutter instead of roll, cosmic pads drift forward unchanged and the bassline keeps to a mellow throb. Bleepy high notes give Kramer's B-side an engaging sense of momentum, but satisfying as it all is, "Paper Blades" doesn't quite go beyond its nostalgic foundation.
TracklistA Bleep Repeat
B Paper Blades