- Never one to shy away from a new project, the 103rd release from New York's True Panther Sounds is by the mysterious Road To Shaanxi. Referencing the Shaanxi province in northwest China, the Revelations EP is the producer's (or producers') debut outing, presenting four tracks of stuttering, heavily rhythmic machine music.
"Revelation" opens with a set of gently rising shimmers laid atop a fractured drum loop. Sunshine pads soon enter the fray, merging and swelling to form an ethereal and deeply moving texture. "Who Am I" toes a similar line while packing a little more drive. By now, the shimmers have become lively, gracefully parading over sparse kicks. "Floating Away" is more muscular still, honing the escalating flickers into darting synths, and strapping a thumping live drum break beneath for added impact. Listen to the EP chronologically and you'll realise there's a dialogue between the tracks: they all use related tools to conjure comparable, if increasingly more intense, atmospheres. It's an approach that gives the release a homogenous, album-like feel. Closing track "Lush Era" resets the balance, winding down this affecting debut in a soothing swirl of dainty synths and twilight pads.
TracklistA1 Revelation
A2 Who Am I?
B1 Floating Away
B2 Lush Era