- Now that dance music labels are no longer limited by the number of grooves you can physically squeeze onto a 12-inch, EPs can come in all shapes and sizes, from the standard three or four tracks to digital behemoths filled to the ethereal brim. False Industries has certainly seized on the opportunity: their latest release, from Sub Static founder and techno lifer Falko Brocksieper, clocks in at nearly an hour, though much of the bounty comes in the form of remixes. Here, the freedom of the digital release gives Brocksieper the chance to stretch his wings a little—he deviates almost entirely from the sort of techno he's best known for—while simultaneously giving fans some sounds that are a bit more familiar.
But really only a bit: "Alkem Nukem" is at its heart an exploration of adventurous electronic sounds. The title cut, though ambient, takes the shape of an engaging techno track, letting well-timed swells guide listeners through washes of static. "The Boy Who Turned Yellow" deals in tangibly human sounds, with weird, warm little clanks rubbing up against drumkit accents. Brocksieper's two other originals get thoroughly reworked. "Mellica" has a pretty insistent beat—its slow-motion techno pulse is kept awake by some wickedly speedy note divisions—but it's actually one of the set's less engaging moments, finding Brocksieper more focused on sound design than narrative.
Benjamin Fehr's remix attempts to rectify this with a healthy dose of drama, though its David Lynch-esque seediness isn't likely to fill any floors; less adventurous but perhaps more appealing, Repair's mix uses dub to smooth out the original's jangle. "Westfalia" is the EP's most mystical moment, dropping us in the heart of the rainforest. On their remixes, Mark Van Hoen and Morgan Packard both try to organize Brocksieper's expansiveness into something more beat-driven. There's a lot to wade through here, but you're likely to find at least one or two moments you can really sink your teeth into.
Tracklist 01. Westfalia
02. Alkem Nukem
03. Mellica
04. The Boy Who Turned Yellow
05. Westfalia (Morgan Packard Remix)
06. Westfalia (Mark Von Hoen Remix)
07. Mellica (Repair Remix)
08. Mellica feat. Lenique (Benjamin Fehr's Coily Remix)