- Bas Mooy's MORD label isn't doing anything by halves. Since the release of their monumental Herdersmat compilation, which served up 28 meaty club tracks over seven slices of wax, the Rotterdam institution has signed two new members (The Transhumans from Berlin and Bristol's Progression), staged their second Berghain showcase and commissioned a nine-track EP from Damcase.
The Greek artist's "Low FX To Aux" was among Herdersmat's highlights for simply being a bit weirder than the rest. It fidgeted relentlessly and scuttled about like a spider. It came from acid but kept those sounds locked away, allowing the deviant machinist experimentation to take centre stage. With Anom Valley, those creative juices are flowing once again, only this time with more of a mind on the floor.
In the double-EP's first half, "Deleted Scene" sets the tone with a rush of caustic gurgles and a pounding beat that'll raise the heart rate. The groove of "Set Factor" is welcomed, but it comes with a dissonant ring, like a warning to not get too comfortable. Cue "Rusty," which kicks off the B-side's trio of grotty analogue techno. Things get more introverted and playful on "Rn 45," with its spooling percussion and muted fluctuations under the surface.
In part two, "X Gun" is a bloopy technoid reset before the big guns are wheeled out. "Interlogon" and "Venerate Circles" are DJ bombs but could wear on home-stereo listeners—that's who the superb digital bonuses are for. "Ar. Yp. 41 Par. 05" is a strangled sequence of modulated weirdness, while "Crack Apart" buzzes and pauses like a raw and noodling machine jam. As with his Herdersmat contribution, Damcase stands out when he goes strange.
TracklistA1 Delete Scene
A2 Set Factor
B1 Rusty
B2 Towards Them
B3 Rn 45
C1 X Gun
C2 Interlogon
D1 Venerate Circles
D2 Anom Valley
Digital Only:
Ar. Yp. 41 Par. 05
Crack Apart