Hound Scales - Sabbath Lillie Hawks EP

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  • Nico Jacobsen, AKA Houndcales, gives the distinct impression that he's on a mission to tear shit up. Evidence? The Brooklyn-based producer calling his brand of complex and exciting techno "junta rave," and a track ("Thinner") that he says came about after deciding that Kate Bush's "Delius" would sound better if it "were assembled of harmonies and rhythms distilled from dirt-covered dog growls." Sabbath Lillie Hawks sees Jacobsen, who is one of the guys behind former RA label of the month Fifth Wall, turn out three crushing, molten techno tracks for White Asega. Lush chords may usher in "Odile," but tough kicks swiftly offer a counter-balance, the junglist influences that Jacobsen says have been key to his development coming through in the screeching vocal loop and frequent percussive bursts. The title to "Howard Hughesian" is a clue to its contents—a dark, shadowy display of industrial might, its beats hammer away like a steel press. "Thinner," meanwhile, is an express-paced collision of jackboot tempo and clattering African drums. You suspect Brit techno champs Forward Strategy Group see a kindred spirit in Jacobsen. They contort the basslines on "Thinner" into wild shapes and attack it with laser bursts, laying it on top of a jerky, discomforting rhythm. Whichever way you turn on this EP you're confronted with intrigue and innovation.
  • Tracklist
      A1 Odile A2 Howard Hughesian B1 Thinner B2 Thinner (Forward Strategy Group Remix)
RA