- Most artists in the Dream Catalogue realm started out making vaporwave, though many now fit comfortably in the dance music world. You'd be hard pressed to explain what makes HKE or Halo Acid's "ghost tech" different from most contemporary techno, for example. Another producer making this transition is Facechain, formerly known as DEIPHIX. His first full-length under his new alias, Accensor, is one of the highlights of Dream Catalogue's recent rush of releases. Moving into the realm of dub techno, Accensor is epic in an understated manner, bringing Dream Catalogue's misty cityscape-at-night aesthetic to a new level of grandeur.
Facechain's tracks are patient yet impactful. Accensor's 11-minute opener is dub techno as heard amid blustery rain. The string arrangement and soft chords are lovely, and the mid-track breakdown makes the end all the more climactic. "Visage I," another long highlight, grows from near-silence to thick, enveloping ambience. Amid these cosy textures, the percussion is unusually busy. "Visage II"'s broken techno is energised by rapid-fire kicks. Jittery rhythms make another appearance on "Trauma II," a collaboration with Blank Body that puts ticking hi-hats on top of what could be a lullaby.
Facechain easily melds what might seem like opposing elements: deep atmospheres and sentimental strings on the one hand, heart-palpitating percussion on the other. He does it with an equal grasp of techno and the post-vaporwave realm to which he belongs. Just as you can hear the influence of DeepChord in some parts, you can make out HKE in the bold basslines of "Visage I," or fellow Dream Catalogue artist Sangam in the Burial-esque melodies. Accensor is a welcome take on dub techno from an outsider.
Tracklist01. Accensor
02. Trauma II feat. Blank Body
03. Visage I
04. Visage II
05. Blitz Und Geht feat. Lukepi