Conforce - Dystopian Elements EP

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  • Conforce records are havens for high production values, but they wouldn't be nearly as successful if Bunnik didn't give his sounds so much breathing room. The Dystopian Elements EP doesn't just feature great sounds placed artfully and sparingly in a stereo image, however. It also gives them four very different sorts of knots to get all tangled up in. Opener "Luminous" and "Lonely Run," though techno to the core, both positively slink: despite the crispness of their drums, these beats are nevertheless impervious to the sticky-tack of gorgeously weighty basslines. The latter, whose bouncy heft recalls Peter Van Hoesen, plays with the relatively slow tempo especially well, filling in wide valleys in the beat with nets of organ swells. As "Desolate Ground" proves, a faster clip doesn't necessarily mean a heavier vibe: breaking down and burning out before ever settling into a regular groove, Conforce's beat dematerializes amidst humid half-melodies. The EP does have one moment where some real, honest-to-goodness techno emerges—wade far enough out on "Vacuum" and you'll hit it—but it's merely a tantalizing whisper, a quiet come-on from Bunnik if ever there was one. It's subtle gestures like these that will likely land Conforce many new admirers here, and bring all current adherents even further into the fold.
  • Tracklist
      A1 Luminous A2 Desolate Ground B1 Lonely Run B2 Vacuum
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