- Hayden Payne, AKA Phase Fatale, and Juan Mendez, AKA Silent Servant, represent different eras of the techno-meets-EBM aesthetic. They combine forces for the first release on Payne's new label, BITE, which he says will showcase techno from new acts he digs. But first there's this collaboration, which feels like a manifesto for its sound.
Mendez is a dream collaborator for Payne, and you can hear the former's steadying hand on the EP's more orthodox techno cuts. "Plastic Motion" is pacey like old Sandwell District records, but the lead arpeggio has the gritty texture of sandpaper and the snares and hi-hats have a thick coat of reverb. Imagine KMFDM gone techno. "Confess" has an even stronger industrial vibe, with a militant snare drum and distorted screams. But the bottom-end is pure techno, driving forward on cruise control. The slower "Tausend Heilige" loses some momentum in favour of a thick, industrial grind. By tweaking the formula and leaving the foundations intact, Confess demonstrates how to innovate in techno. This is one of the reasons Phase Fatale is one of the genre's most exciting young artists.
TracklistA1 Plastic Motion
B1 Confess
B2 Tausend Heilige