- R-Zone has provided some of 2013's most shamelessly ravey moments, as though under the guise of anonymity the producers they've called on—who include JD Twitch, Willie Burns and D'Marc Cantu—have been freed from the constraints of expectation, allowing them to fashion those frantic tracks they've always been tempted to make. Thus far the series has dabbled in breakbeat hardcore, trippy house and gritty, granular techno. Its seventh installment heads deep down the electro rabbit hole.
Coming off like Legowelt on a particularly paranoid day, "Emojako" and "Subatomi" have percussion that clatters like a distant salvage yard, its snares metallic, angry and rolling endlessly onwards. Neither seems too bothered with melody, instead offering texture from the growls and whines of synths weaved into a glorious, discordant mess. Each reaches its zenith then collapses under the pressure—the former into an arpeggio that whirls like a Catherine Wheel, the latter into indistinct noise as each sound battles to be heard. Opener "If U Going Through Hell Keep Going" is comparatively straightforward, its chuntering bass echoed in bells, but it lacks none of its neighbours' impact, especially when a stepping breakbeat slams in post-breakdown. If it takes anonymity to bring about music this free, every copy of Ableton should come with a mask.
TracklistA If U Going Thru Hell Keep Going
B1 Emojako
B2 Subatomi