Brighton-based producer Nathan Pope's (aka Antenna Happy) three-track EP, Memory Tracks, is a competent techno release, with just enough experimentation to make it stand out from the pack.
Though the opening title track is an initially difficult affair, some well-placed synth stabs eventually make sense of the seemingly random melody, and by the second or third listen it reveals itself as the most interesting cut on the EP, if not the most fun or immediate. Straightforward second track "Brute Harmony" immerses you in its claustrophobic groove right away, its dark, driving energy making way for ominous melodies in beguiling fashion. Its hissing, cicada-like percussion effect later on is particularly cool; to these ears, it is the EP's highlight.
Third and final track "Where Space Is" is a pad-heavy, blissed-out affair featuring twee vocal samples of a young child, a technique M83 pulls off better. While it's innocuous enough here, it could have just as easily been done without. It's hardly a deal-breaker, though: the track has a pleasant, inviting vibe and a rhythm that bounces where the others storm. Fluffy and upbeat, it's a solid way to round out this tonally diverse EP.
(Discotexas)Though the opening title track is an initially difficult affair, some well-placed synth stabs eventually make sense of the seemingly random melody, and by the second or third listen it reveals itself as the most interesting cut on the EP, if not the most fun or immediate. Straightforward second track "Brute Harmony" immerses you in its claustrophobic groove right away, its dark, driving energy making way for ominous melodies in beguiling fashion. Its hissing, cicada-like percussion effect later on is particularly cool; to these ears, it is the EP's highlight.
Third and final track "Where Space Is" is a pad-heavy, blissed-out affair featuring twee vocal samples of a young child, a technique M83 pulls off better. While it's innocuous enough here, it could have just as easily been done without. It's hardly a deal-breaker, though: the track has a pleasant, inviting vibe and a rhythm that bounces where the others storm. Fluffy and upbeat, it's a solid way to round out this tonally diverse EP.
