Unknown Artist - Grey Area Volume One

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  • Samurai and Auxiliary's Grey Area project has a familiar aim: to present electronic music without context or identity—no credits, no info, no expectations. It's not an attempt to be mysterious but rather to emphasize how both labels have moved on from drum & bass and conventional dance genres. The idea is that the music on Grey Area exists in its own world. That said, the tracks on the first Grey Area 12-inch aren't completely unconventional, but they definitely sit in a distinctive space (i.e. the atmospheric realm of artists like ASC, Sam KDC and others on the Samurai roster). Grey Area 001 lays out a vague blueprint for this sound, oriented around techno but not beholden to its static pulse. Two of the tracks have an exaggerated swing that aligns closer with dubstep, which is evident in the way the snares smack up against the end of every measure. There's an ungainly weight to this music, and functionality doesn't seem like a main concern. On "2," the bassline is a vague, ominous thing that rumbles in slow motion, while on "4," the drums feel like they lag behind its shuddering pace. And "1," glacial like epic dub techno, barely feels like it's moving at all. Only "3" hints at drum & bass tempo, though here that speed registers as more wobbly than propulsive. All four tracks float in and out like mist on the horizon, offering a spin on ambient techno ideas. So while it's not all groundbreaking, the first Grey Area record is, at least, pretty different.
  • Tracklist
      A1 1 A2 2 B1 3 B2 4
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