Gunnar Haslam ­- Athabaskan Languages

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  • Something vaguely conceptual is afoot in Gunnar Haslam's second release for Delsin, with its indigenous allusions and a track referencing New York's Dutch colonial history. However, the tinder-dry drums of "Hellegat" and rattling sound of "Athabaskan Languages" is about as far as the Native American homage goes. The rest are more of the decent techno range we've come to expect from the New Yorker. "Athabaskan Languages" seems to echo the angsty sentiment in the title track of its predecessor, Ataxia No Logos. It's the EP's beeline to the dance floor and a corruption of "Hellegate" (or vice versa), only it lacks the ominous atmospheric charge that descends over the closing track. "Sarsi" embodies one of those off-the-floor moments Haslam has shown aptitude for, perhaps most virulently on in his Mister Saturday Night debut. This time, however, he's content to just tinker on the surface and bask in its glow of sunny dub reverb. "Sirenik" returns to more chilling temperaments, like an excursion through strange, dense undergrowth. But we're pushed through the layers with lashings of groove that make the eight-plus-minute journey feel energised, robust and bouncy. On the whole, Athabaskan Languages is a solid, comfortable release.
  • Tracklist
      A1 Athabaskan Languages A2 Sarsi B1 Sirenik B2 Hellegat
RA