Continually transfusing some fresh blood into its body, Variant Electronic presents Prophetic Mute—an even, four-tracker split between Italy-based talent DRT and Dean Vincent—also a talent, but British.

    An innocuously unraveling 127-BPM opener abruptly engages hefty, low-seated 4/4 kicks to make one point clear—Mute is a cover-up name for an agent whose relative silence only lasts for about 30 seconds before it is time to strike down; clanking 16/16 stabs, rough and slightly low-passed hats, neatly and craftily filtered claps, frequent tides of soft noise and mysterious chiming of icy stabs—these are the elements that help us see through the disguise of this deceivingly-named, cunning character. Rolling at its forerunner's tempo, boomy kicks arranged in a syncopated, threesome manner pave the way of DRT's follower Black Horse, whose dimly lit, intimate atmosphere is built on softly sizzling noise, sandy 4/4 shakers and airy 4/4 hats, timidly chirping 16/16 stabs and shifty, clicking loops—subtle and resonant at the same time, panning through channels in a slick, casual manner; a fitting score for late night stay-up when the ear craves a beat that could provide enough energy for just another hour.

    While there hasn't been a definitive presence of tonality in the previous tracks, Dean Vincent takes it to a whole new level with 142-BPM paced piece Perpetual, with straightened-out kicks that run in 4/4, locked loops of magnetizing stabs, ticking hats, rapidly sliding hat sweeps, resonant claps and of course, a cosmic ambiance whose sci-fi inclinations will be well evident even to those who for whatever reason have been actively avoiding this part of the culture; Klaatu barada nikto! A closing number Somewhat Prophetic is a feast for atonality-attracted individuals who prefer their techno as abstract as an acid trip spent looking at Kandinsky's paintings in 3D glasses, while riding a giraffe on skates through a city architected solely by Đặng Việt Nga... Speaking of that, as syncopated, bouncy kicks emerge at 136 BPM together with one delayed hat strike per 4 bars to keep them company, so do the two oddly-shaped loops which might as well be the mating calls of two alien insects who just happen to be in one place at the same time; while that goes on, a twisted bassline appears to a bewildering effect, bringing with it drowning, swiftly signalling pads and some crunchy stabs that keep leaning to the right channel, all of which are overlooked by an arcing, spatial ambiance, letting us infer that the action probably happens at least a few light years away from Milky Way—reasonably Variant, isn't it?

Release Type: EP

Release Date: 31 August 2017

Release Format: Digital

Record Label • Catalog: Variant Electronic • VE019

Purchase Links: Beatport • Junodownload • Bandcamp