- Mike Shannon and David "DeWalta" Koch's second adventure continues the theme set by last year's No Rest for the Wicked on Cynosure—that's druggy, digital tech funk. Perhaps it's a reaction to DeWalta's classically-trained upbringing, but there's only the subtlest evidence to suggest that he once played in a symphony orchestra, like the muted, swirling horn-like pads that infect "Slicks." Both the A-side and the flip, "Smooves," lock into a groove early and march relentlessly on like zombies, each unfurling over ten sprawling minutes.
"Slicks"—whose digital-only dub is oddly indiscernible from the original—has a jazzy drum lick as its musical plinth, on which is stacked a rising bass motif and rattling analogue synth phrases. It's positively sweetness and light compared to the deeply twisted "Smooves." Imagine being at Watergate at late o'clock, looking out over the Spree, at that point where the darkness is at its richest. It's exactly what you'd want to hear—chugging, dubby echoes battle ghostly rimshots and atmospheric background noises that sound like roaches scuttling across the kitchen lino.
Tracklist A Slicks
B Smoones