- These Hidden Hands is a new project from Tommy Four Seven and Alain of Berlin's One Million Mangos studio. Judging by its lead single, the duo's forthcoming album will veer away from the industrial sound of Tommy's solo work in favour of something lighter—the delicate broken beats and tentative melodies of "Ivy" seem closer to Autechre and Boards Of Canada than Tommy's CLR labelmates. That's not to say it's a complete departure, though—as with much of Primate, the mix is wreathed in a pitch-black space that keeps it from tipping over into the saccharine.
Dominick Fernow is a fine choice as remixer, given the similar juxtaposition of oppressive angst and haunted melodies in his work as Vatican Shadow. His version leaves the lead line relatively unscathed, but it has a surprisingly sprightly techno pulse as an accompaniment. The result is, if not Fernow's most visceral work, one of his most incisive attempts at techno to date. Finally, a mix from chameleonic Irish duo Lakker echoes the blackened industrial of their recent Coal Bath EP. It's just as rhythmically volatile, with relentless percussive micro-edits recalling the more-is-more approach of millennial IDM.
Tracklist A Ivy
B1 Ivy (Vatican Shadow Remix)
B2 Ivy (Lakker Remix)