- Four years since Nathan Fake introduced the world to "my old Cornish buddy Ex-Pylon" via his MySpace page, the low-key producer turns in his second EP for Swedish imprint Studio Barnhus. Released in 2011, Ex-Pylon's debut, Hammerfest, displayed a healthy cross-section styles, moving from choppy melodic techno through to manic electronica and ambient. "Shakes" is cut from the same cloth, albeit with a more incisive edge.
With constant tweaks and twists, the title track's sprawling twelve-minute body bears the markings of music recorded live. Ducking the EQs at irregular intervals, including a ninety-second sub-aquatic interlude midway through, Ex-Pylon brings the piece to life. Flitting between an assertive lead synth and celestial pads (which oddly recall the chord progression from Daft Punk's "One More Time"), the track draws to a close with a sense of cosmic grandeur. "Helmet," by comparison, is more subdued. Nevertheless, as a bed of rugged kicks and hard-hitting claps support a tapestry of twinkling melodies and spiralling synths, it evokes the same feelings of ethereality.
Tracklist A Shakes
B Helmet