December / Kaumwald - Half Cuts Vol. 1

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  • In a world where oppressively dark techno is approaching mundanity, In Paradisum is a leading light, metaphorically speaking. Putting out blackened, downright evil music from the likes of Mondkopf, Somaticae and former metalhead Run Dust, the French label's techno takes influence from the darkest corners of other musical realms to give it an extra edge. Now they're launching a new series of split EPs called Half Cuts, meant to showcase artists who make music compatible with the label's aesthetic but aren't currently part of the family. The label brings together two Parisian acts for the first 12-inch. There's December, who has released bilious techno for Where To Now and Blackest Ever Black's A14 label, and there's the duo Kaumwald, who gave Opal Tapes a 12-inch of slow, shuddering drones in 2014. For Half Cuts, the two meet in the middle, delivering four molten flows of screeching synths and lumbering drums. December takes the straight-ahead style of his past work and makes it dysfunctional: drum patterns now sound like the rankle of heavy chains, the chords feel sickly and the vast atmospheres are frigid like post-punk. "XY" is the more assertive one, with its elephantine drones and apocalyptic kick drums. In keeping with past work, Kaumwald's contributions are more volatile. The synths on "Cormoran" are so corroded that they can barely hold a note, while "No Ivlo"'s broken techno is slowly shrouded by a noxious cloud of smoke. All four tracks use devices that will be familiar to any fan of this kind of techno. December and Kaumwald sound like they're still figuring out exactly what makes their music tick, which justifies In Paradisum's introductory approach. Half Cuts Vol. 1 presents two acts who, even if they aren't there yet, could easily make a splash in the label's discography somewhere down the line.
  • Tracklist
      A1 December - Behindert A2 December - XY B1 Kaumwald - Cormoran B2 Kaumwald - No Ivlo
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