- It's impressive that across nearly two years and 14 records, The Bunker New York has only twice issued more than one release by the same artist. Løt.te returned first with this year's History Of Discipline, beefing up the dubby techno of his first 12-inch for a much more formidable assault, and Clay Wilson goes a similar route on his second Bunker EP, Skandha. Where The Bunker New York 002 was a bit spongy and euphoric at the edges, these four productions sound seasick and petulant. Save for the disorienting title cut, Wilson's latest fleshes out each track patiently. Take it as further proof that this NYC label continues to develop both its wide range of workmanlike dance music and some of the most promising techno artists working today.
The best stuff on Skandha focuses on building tension, but not at the expense of direction and dynamics. "Skandha" and "Pict" are tracky DJ tools that immediately set a frigid mood and dig deep into it, and they'll be useful for keeping a crowd's heart rate up while also allowing the energy to plateau. The streaks of Vangelisian synth in "Pict" make it stand out in that regard, while "Skandha" refuses to extended beyond its borderline corny haunted house milieu. On the other hand, Wilson does more with structure on "Cataleptic" and "Feres," the latter especially. Traversing "Cataleptic"'s midnight jungle atmospherics is a thrill with the heavy 4/4 and ping-pong percussion blazing its path, and, in terms of sheer visceral sonics, "Feres" one-ups it. The EP's highlight harnesses the best qualities of the other three—big drums, dense textures, sly grooves and thick sub pulses—for a simply stronger, bolder production that expertly balances form and function.
TracklistA1 Skandha
A2 Cataleptic
B1 Feres
B2 Pict