- Szare's interviews are an endless stream of banter that wouldn't sound out of place in a Manchester pub. So even though Kodiak / Translocated hits like a trash can to the skull, it's underpinned by shrewd humour. Szare make these mechanical annihilators sound fun. Each side calls to mind a military helicopter gone haywire. Rhythms are trapped in stutters, as if the mix was caught in a blender set to pulverise. After the break on "Kodiak," hi-hats splay out in spectacular fashion—it's one of the most screwface-inducing moments set to wax this year. This is disturbing stuff that will be too much to handle for some dancers and DJs, but you have to commend Szare for letting it all hang out.
It's easy to see why Kodiak / Translocated appealed to Logos and Mumdance. We seem to be in the techno-grime grey area, but there's speedcore and IDM in the mix, too. The sound design is tuned for high impact but not at the cost of textural and atmospheric nuance. These are detailed constructions that must have taken an awful amount of tweaking to achieve such an effortless-sounding result. Rather than ruminating on a single idea, the structures pass between at least three in each track, which contributes to the record's restlessness. It presents DJs with multiple options for where to go next, which is part of what makes it such a fun EP to play. Kodiak / Translocated is a release where you pull the pin, stand back and watch the destruction unfold.
TracklistA Kodiak
B Translocated