Talker - Battle Standards

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  • Standards & Practices, a new label run by the brothers Karl and Ken Meier and Jon "Stave" Krohn, is off to a terrific start with Talker's Battle Standards. The first solo release from Karl Meier and Krohn's collaborative project since their 2014 album—a wide-ranging record that found a sweet spot between techno and industrial music—for Downwards, Battle Standards sees the duo focusing on the dance floor. It's a relentless and efficient EP, with dense percussive attacks and measured guitar noise from Krohn as its key ingredients. "Battle Standard," the closest Talker has gotten to a straight 4/4 techno track, opens the EP with a distorted guitar shriek. A droning fuzz settles into the background as drums steamroll across the front of the mix. "(Gold) Standard" is a beat-driven version of "My Favorite Colour Is Gold," a slice of dark ambient the pair released on The Immortal Eye, a compilation Regis curated in 2015. The original's ominous atmosphere and harsh industrial accents are looped and locked into sync with rumbling percussion. "Snub Nose," a nimble broken-beat cut eschewing gritty textures and guitar havoc in favor of subtle sonar pings, is the tune you're most likely to hear in a Meier DJ set. It wraps up a welcome return for Talker and a powerful opening blast for a new label.
  • Tracklist
      A1 Battle Standard B1 (Gold) Standard B2 Snub Nose
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