- As proved by his last couple of releases, Henning's got a knack for creating a funky, tight groove - but he can't pull it together over the eight-odd minutes on the A-side of this particular outing. While there's quite a bit going on in title cut ‘Pokerbot’, it will appeal most to those who like things ultra-reduced – the rest of us will get bored sharpish. Amongst the regulation clicks, blips and hisses, the off-beat technoid stabs and warping sub-bass - which adds a kind of dubby steppa vibe to proceedings – are the most memorable. He loses momentum with a ponderous break, which is a shame, as the most engaging part arrives soon after: a sort of percussive middle eight dowsed with oscillating digital hiss. Alas, it don't last long, and it's soon back to that tedious groove.
But wake up at the back! On the flip, ‘Ring Of Fire’ survives a worryingly similar opening to mutate into a crunchy monster: intricate glitches (have a listen – they're really rather intricate), echo-laden snares and a doubled sub-bass give this a solid, dubby foundation, before Henning goes to work on the layers: mumbled vocal cuts, buzz-saw washes and reverb-heavy FX join the building percussive elements. A fab one-note bassline arrives in the drop, an unexpected twist that carries the track into hip-wiggling territory. A game of two halves.
TracklistA Pokerbot
B Ring Of Fire