- Lakker have recently turned to challenging, rhythmically dense techno, but their latest EP for Stroboscopic Artefacts eschews the concerns of the dance floor in favour of something moody and atmospheric. Monad XIV brings to mind Roly Porter and Bandshell, artists who also skirt the edges of techno.
"Dryad" opens with ethereal pads and a smattering of noise—think the falling beads of a rainmaker instrument—before a powerful bass riff and a dry, tom-led beat take over. "Nevada" is less caustic, with staccato piano chords and an ocarina-like melody that lends an eerie atmosphere to the straightforward techno beat. Picked clean of any extraneous fat, "Asvattha" is all metallic percussion and spacious, frozen ambience. The drumbeat, when it comes, sounds like the portent of some dark ceremony. "Artificial Weather" is epic and sprawling, like Oneohtrix Point Never at his noisiest, with colossal synths that soar and crash in a dramatic conclusion to the EP.
Tracklist01. Dryad
02. Nevada
03. Asvattha
04. Artificial Weather