RA Reviews: Cassegrain & Tin Man - Carnal on KILLEKILL (Single)

I'm surprised that, after eight records, this is only the second slab of straight-up acid to appear on Nico Deuster's Killekill. Deuster is an acid diehard, known for his stomping Acid Ist Fertig ("Acid Is Finished") parties at Berlin's Suicide Circus club. Correspondingly, though Carnal may have Tin Man's name on it, it has little in common with soft 303 excursions like "Nonneo" or most everything on his upcoming Neo Neo Acid. Rather, it leans much more to the side of Cassegrain, a duo who've appeared on Prologue and M_Rec. "Carnal" and "Sear" are the record's simplest cuts. Both etch simmering acid lines into stone-solid beats, with an almost disturbing lack of colour. No one is going to be blown away by the ideas presented in either track, but it's hard to argue with their precision and effectiveness.

"Visitor" and "Rest" see the influence of each collaborative half dialled up in turn. In the former, the 303 takes on a more melancholic, Tin Man-ish edge, with the barest of percussion flickering underneath it. "Rest" is dubby, like much of Cassegrain's solo work. It's probably the most interesting track on the record too. Fairly subdued at first, it sees grainy strings rise from the deep with incredible slowness, eventually enveloping the entire spectrum with their dirty-but-beautiful keening. What's more, there doesn't seem to be a 303 in sight.