- Expression Unrelated is the first full EP from Casual Violence in more than three years. The Manchester purveyor of dark and dense techno had been at work on an album (which has now been put aside) and is also a new father, but as he readies a run of new releases, don't think for a second that such concerns have softened his sound. This record for Plector, a Belgian label that's also put out tracks from artists like Stanislav Tolkachev, Fran Hartnett and Sleeparchive, contains some of Casual Violence's most abstract and exciting work.
"Burn It All Down" is the easiest thing here, thanks to a steady 130-BPM kick drum, on top of which is a hair-raising assemblage of shrieks and a corkscrewing lead. "Youth Horde" and the title track are longer (around nine minutes apiece), slower and more rhythmically exacting. Under a cloud of droning pads, "Youth Horde" works with the interplay between a few oddly staggered kicks and some jagged-edge elements that shake and slice higher up in the mix. "Expression Unrelated" is this record's mind-bending climax, with gritty tones, a thorny melodic loop and relentless sixteenth-note drums each pursuing their own angles as they lurch forward. The beat-less "Unexpected Grace"'s smoldering, windswept soundscape ensures that the tense vibes continue to the very end. Techno doesn't get much more twisted than this.
TracklistA1 Burn It All Down
A2 Youth Horde
B1 Expression Unrelated
B2 Unexpected Grace