ENA ­- Meteor EP

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  • Over his last couple of records, ENA's move from singular-sounding dubstep and drum & bass seems to have accelerated. The music has become sparser and more introverted, leading to the swirling, grainy abstractions of Divided. As Andrew Ryce noted in his review of that album, for someone usually so precise and refined in his work, ENA sounded distinctly rough, which gave the cassette an unfinished quality. The Japanese producer's Meteor EP for Samurai Red Seal, then, finds those sketches creeping towards resolution. Between the pulsing spectres of Divided and skeletal tinkering of Binaural lies Meteor. But if those releases were delicate, even frail in parts, that's not the case here. "Bulkhead" and "Insective" are particularly bold and intense. Their throbbing, repetitive rhythms are assertive, their noise harsh and jarring. It's a far meaner and menacing ENA than we've so far encountered. There's something terrifying beneath the surface of "Bulkhead," moaning and wailing to be let loose. "Body" is light by comparison. It's softer, fuzzier design plays on the richness and strangeness of its sounds. It invites deeper listening. There's also charm to be found in "Meteor"'s limping meter and scavenged percussion—tropes that attest to a more familiar ENA, even if he's still not his old self.
  • Tracklist
      A1 Meteor A2 Bulkhead B1 Insective B2 Body
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