Part 2 of a monthly deep dive into the contemporary electronic artists working within the UK and around the frameworks/aesthetics of post-club, deconstructed club, UK Bass, and everything few and far-between (championing the fringe and experimental). My standout tracks, and words on them below:
1. The Twins: TURMERIC
Identical twins Omar and Jamal are the Twins of the moment. Pulling influence from their South Asian heritage, they fuse electro-clash with desi sounds, sampling Bollywood to regional folk music.
With Omar on vocals and Jamal on production, the duo have coined their style “Bollywood Electronic.” Their debut album ‘TUMERIC’ is a must listen, and so is the track of the same name.
High octane and built around a fractured and reassembled sample, supported by pumping bass and dhol rhythms, with Omar’s vocals treated with glitchy processing. The tail end isn’t unlike something you would hear on ‘Go Plastic’ by Squarepusher.
A distinctive take on hyperpop and the music of the adjacent indie sleaze revival.
2. Proc Fiskal: ADDICTIONZ
Edinburgh based Proc Fiskal (real name Joe Powers) provides a different form of dance floor catharsis through his idiosyncratic strain of electronic maximalism.
‘ADDICTIONZ’ is the lead single and opening track from his recent project ‘Exchequer EP’. Released on acclaimed electronic label HyperDub, home to releases by cutting-edge electronic artists Burial, Kode9 and aya, it situates Powers within a lineage of forward-thinking UK club experimentalists.
Intricate and rhythmically entrancing, the track starts with a slew of synths before giving way to gorgeously programmed MIDI strings and harp. A marriage of his grime roots and hyperpop sensibilities, interwoven with classical instrumentation in service of what he has described as “the utopian idea of the pastoral.”
If you are enamoured by the dense, somewhat fantastical, and detailed sound design of projects like ‘Leo Line Eon’ by Iglooghost you may have interest in this one. It ventures into similar sonic terrain, but with different stride.
3. Another Country $$$$ – ANOTHER COUNTRY
The new darlings of the UK underground band circuit, as the live electronics standouts. Manchester based duo Another Country $$$$ merge live drums with a distinct club vocabulary. Their live shows (I thankfully caught them during Pitchfork Music Festival at Cafe Oto) also feature live visuals, another cornerstone of their practice.
With ‘ANOTHER COUNTRY’ (which I hope is their walkout song), a list of ‘another’ statements are read by text to speech, a mantra for pushing forward (it feels like) there will always be another something or other in life. Merging delicate sonics, not so dissimilar to ‘botanica’ with post-rave trance like lush synth chords which enter the fray with the driving kit. The track, its progression tastefully curated, feels imbued with nostalgic sentiment. If you ever get the post-rave blues, maybe they sound something like this.
