- With reams of brainy hardware electro to his name, some of it released on Rephlex Records, EOD owes Aphex Twin about as big a debt as Bjarki does. The two producers channel different sides of Aphex: Bjarki his imagination and disruptive energy, EOD specific parts of his sound and technique. This makes the Swurlk EP a fairly strait-laced addition to the madcap bbbbbb catalogue. But it's a satisfying bit of modern braindance, striking a classic RDJ-style balance between itchy machine-funk groove and lush synthetic melody.
The latter wins out over the former as the EP progresses. The opener, "ELCASET_TESTGROOVE," is mostly elastic bounce and flex, with mock-menacing melodies dancing spryly in the gaps between the drums. The chords sit heavier on "Evenhark", draping sleepily over a boisterous cowbell groove. And by the closer, "Swurlk (Snarlfingercroak Mix)," it's become all about the synths, which push the cute and melancholy buttons at once. The black sheep is "Swarm," five-odd minutes of hi-speed nosebleed techno clotted with snare rolls and hornet drones. This being bbbbbb, there's always room for a curveball.
TracklistA1 Swurlk (Snarlfingercroak Mix)
A2 Evenhark
B1 Swarm
B2 ELCASET_TESTGROOVE