Mouse On Mars

German duo Andi Toma and Jan St. Werner built their collective reputation as Mouse on Mars on innovation, as both producers and products of the IDM age that refract modern sensibilities through a devotion to psychedelic glitch. Shifting direction from the manic Parastrophics album of 2012, the Spezmodia EP makes a move toward the accessible. From a stylistic perspective, this is not a shocking development, considering their arguably pop-oriented push with Radical Connector in 2004, but their continued level of competency in apparently any creative direction after so many years in the game remains astounding. While the PR blurb claims influence from the long-extinct genre happy hardcore, the BPM range, rap vocal samples, and instrumentation throughout Spezmodia sound more like Toma and Werner forging contemporary bass music tropes in their own mould, with traces of trap and juke central to all five tracks. A similar palette was explored on the fragmented Parastrophics follow-up mini-album WOW, but it comes together with more purpose and cleanliness on Spezmodia. Any of these tracks — from the acid KRS-One of "Bakerman is Breaking Bad" to the cinematic stutter of "I See Dizzy" — would be perfect to get any DJ kicked off the decks in Vegas, and have the Internet swarm to their defence.