- Anonymous technoist Rivet has managed to raise quite a profile for himself in the last 12 months or so. Appearances on Scuba's DJ Kicks, remixes of Kowton and a full EP on Kontra-Musik have helped along the way, as surely will a debut on Skudge's own fearsome and fearless imprint of the same name. It's a perfect fit, frankly, because Rivet's gritty, weather beaten techno sounds like some not too distant relative of the Swedish duo's own brutish loops. That said, Rivet injects slightly more nuance and detail into his work, with "Sundry" a prime example. Scraping percussion and underlapping kicks are the building blocks, but off these shoot all sorts of sonic detritus. Synths ripple, fizzing effects fly like sparks and a sombre mood emanates from within as the beat barrels on in hope of new beginnings.
"Grifter" is less weighed down by mood, and instead canters along with its head held high. Serrated analogue lines eventually consume the whole track, morphing it into something that suggests Rivet has a passion for '90s rave and dusty old hardcore breaks. It's a cute twist, but one you aren't allowed to revel in before a network of taut iron synth lines tie the whole thing up in itself once again. Is that a voice lurking in the surging, buoyant chaos? Who knows? Rivet prefers his music to be as shadowy and hard to pin down as the man who makes it.
Tracklist A Grifter
B Sundry