Mathias Kaden - Moron / Shetani

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  • It may have been more than a year since Mathias Kaden released an EP for Vakant, but it sure doesn't feel like it: His latest two-tracker for the imprint falls directly in line with his—and the label's—previous work. "Moron," for instance, starts like many Vakant releases in what sounds like mid-sentence, as though someone fumbled around trying to find the button to start recording Kaden's rolling minimalism. With the requisite tribal fills and step-up/step-down bassline keeping things firmly in place, the track is yet another example of Kaden's ability to go nowhere and everywhere at the same time. "Moron" is exquisitely static—and showcases the unlikely power that a simple bass drop can wield. "Shetani" is similar in execution, especially in its ladder-rung bassline. Ghostly trumpets arrive and dissipate, chanting monks come to the fore and then recede, the unrelenting percussion rises and falls. If nothing else, you have to admire Vakant for their consistency. When you buy a release by the imprint—Dinky's recent full-length excepted—you know almost exactly what you're getting: A tenacious groove with plenty of sonic filigree to keep the mind happy as the hips move. That said, in listening to Kaden's Freude Am Tanzen release from earlier this year, you can't help but think that he has a lot more to say in this mode—and that perhaps adhering to a "Vakant sound" is holding him back. Assuming such things is a dangerous game to play, of course, but "exquisitely static" has a nasty way of quickly turning into "frustratingly inert." Let's hope Kaden and Vakant continue to realize the difference.
  • Tracklist
      A Moron B Shetani
RA