- Parallel Series 2 is the second part of an experiment in contrasts that previously pitted the dense, frantic sounds of ASC against some of Luke Slater's relatively more laid-back fare as L.B. Dub Corp. Here, we get two tracks each from Shifted, whose debut album Crossed Paths has just dropped on Mote-Evolver, and Helsinki artist Samuli Kemppi, who returns to the fold after putting out a pair of records on the label back in 2010.
Shifted sticks to the reduced yet richly textured techno he's championed over the past year or so. A single chord sounds out across the nearly eight-minute length of "Gates," working as a reference point for a collection of slowly modulated cymbals and handclaps, while "Spire," full of rapid-fire ticks and haunting atmospherics, goes for a more dynamic, floor-friendly state of hypnosis.
Kemppi's efforts on the B-side are a bit more vibrant, but with regards to the steely shivers and stutters of "Detached Object," I think he's gotten better mileage out of similar approaches in the past. "Trans Neptunian" is the standout for me. On that one, Kemppi fits together a timid melody with a delightful set of cosmic shrieks, and in doing so creates a weirdly blissful situation that should appeal to those who feel too strung out from Shifted's head-down exercises.
Tracklist A1 Shifted - Gates
A2 Shifted - Spire
B1 Samuli Kemppi - Trans Neptunian
B2 Samuli Kemppi - Detached Object