Best Available Technology - Neon Razor Chain

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  • Kevin Palmer's music is at its best when the tension between punk-ish waywardness and cool focus is most keenly felt. We know this techno saboteur can be anarchic, but his strongest productions are often exercises in tight control—as on the "techno" side of his contribution to Styles Upon Styles' Bangers & Ash series. It's just such a pinpoint focus that makes Neon Razor Chain's highlights so satisfying. The title track's hangdog beat slumps on and on hypnotically, allowing little more than a few moments' respite from its relentless grind. That and the churning "Strobic" wouldn't sound out of place on a recent Downwards release; both have a gauntness and stylish restraint that isn't quite Palmer's usual MO, but it suits him well. Elsewhere, "Jackal Code"'s loping drums and splashy texturing are absorbing, even if structurally it's a little less focussed. Likewise closer "Anti Code," which pivots between eerie stasis and a squall of lo-fi percussion. "Digi Hex," meanwhile, is a return to Palmer's longstanding fixation with the oceanic sonics of dub techno. The track's velvety chords and gently palpitating groove are hardly revolutionary, but the way Palmer flicks between spaces—a lift shaft's-worth of delay on the one hand, silence on the other—breathes new life into these familiar materials.
  • Tracklist
      A1 Neon Razor Chain A2 Strobic B1 Jackal Code B2 Digi Hex B3 Anti Code
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