- Donor's original material on Ends Meet is true to the form the Brooklyn-based artist has shown on efforts for labels like Perc Trax and Stroboscopic Artefacts. Overall the reduced, mid-tempo techno on Prosthetic Pressings' first vinyl release since PP001 also doesn't stray too far from the sounds previously espoused by the label or the remixers. "EM1" slowly takes shape with channel-jumping bass strums and trebly bells that teeter off the edge of each measure. Dipped in a murky vocal stew, the track doesn't really hit its stride until the cymbals are sliced in about halfway through, but it's still a stronger dance floor tool than the digital-only "EM2." That one is more sinister, but also more static, relying on a repeated spoken-word passage (extracted from a Stephen King film) draped with angst-inducing beeps.
More impressive are the vinyl's two remixes of "EM1." UK abstract techno outfit Forward Strategy Group, who can just as easily do tough, rolling techno instead opt for a percussive interpretation here that's even more strung out than the original. Next to their narcotic haze, it's Silent Servant who provides a much-needed dose of urgency, twisting the original version's bass strums into his own trademark mechanical shivers and fanning out a long, hissing progression of minor-key chords. The emotional effect is like a dagger to the heart, and it's the finest moment on Ends Meet.
Tracklist A1 EM1 (Silent Servant Remix)
A2 EM1
B EM1 (Forward Strategy Group Remix)
Digital: EM2