Donato Dozzy's collaboration with the Berlin-based imprint Stroboscopic Artefacts was bound to illicit some intensity. After a strong showing in 2013, the label, run by countryman Luca Mortellaro, is looking to fortify its reputation as a leading outlet for contemporary techno, making this recent pairing all the more exciting. And while all of this sounds utterly irresistible on paper, it does not quite live up to expectation.
That's not to say this EP is a miss; quite the contrary. We've been used to a more lucid and uplifting sound from Dozzy, even as one half of Voices From The Lake, so this trip into a darker corner of the veteran's discography is well worth the time. Howling pads dominate the EP opening track like distant screams. Rumbling sub frequencies and eerie wind chimes help paint an unsettling scene. From then on, Dozzy falls back on some reliable rhythmic formulas that unfortunately don't quite blossom with the season. The title track is the clear highlight on this record, with a punishing and persistent bass line that reminds us that this mastermind has all the tools and talent to bring a floor to its knees.
(Stroboscopic Artefacts)That's not to say this EP is a miss; quite the contrary. We've been used to a more lucid and uplifting sound from Dozzy, even as one half of Voices From The Lake, so this trip into a darker corner of the veteran's discography is well worth the time. Howling pads dominate the EP opening track like distant screams. Rumbling sub frequencies and eerie wind chimes help paint an unsettling scene. From then on, Dozzy falls back on some reliable rhythmic formulas that unfortunately don't quite blossom with the season. The title track is the clear highlight on this record, with a punishing and persistent bass line that reminds us that this mastermind has all the tools and talent to bring a floor to its knees.