- Orphan Swords is the Brussels-based duo of Pierre de Muelenaere, co-curator of the Bozar music and arts festival, and seasoned producer and Idiosyncratics label founder Yannick Franck. They first teamed up in 2013, and have since released a few cassette and vinyl EPs, each homing in on a industrial and EBM-tinged style of techno. License To Desire is their second record for the busy UK label Desire, and it might be their strongest release to date.
The ten-minute "Marchosias" sounds like an improvised jam, one that might be too messy for all but the most intrepid DJs. It builds into a droning blur with surging drums, echoed, incomprehensible vocals and all sorts of sharp edges. The record's two B-side cuts are even more compelling. "Asmoday" conjures its own mass of screeching, cackling distortion, but adds an icy sense of melody through a few sustained synth riffs, and fixes everything to a rolling kick. "Hooker" is the most subdued thing yet from Orphan Swords, but it's no less potent. Its steady bass thrums and light, hazy swirls of harmonized noise make for a supremely soothing comedown.
Tracklist01. Marchosias
02. Asmoday
03. Hooker