- Ben Kaczor's second EP under his given name (he's also released as B.O.M) finds the Swiss producer neck deep in muscular drum machines and ghostly atmospheres—and not much else. Some would say that's all one really needs for a good dance track, and sure enough, the Hessle Audio crew have taken notice of WST15. It's easy to see why: the beefy techno drums pair with dubby soundscapes for a sound that resembles a more straightforward take on the Livity Sound aesthetic. And Kaczor has a sharp touch that makes his stripped-down sound design really punch and pop. "WST15" does the most with this oily, greyscale palette, sneaking in rhythmic synths and FX and getting a little dirty with the frequencies, and "Ohh" and "Ahh" hold their own as powerful club rollers.
But where WST15 indulges on pure force it skimps on ingenuity. It's not a deal breaker that most of this record isn't discernible from the stuff peddled by, say, Unknown To The Unknown, but it does mean Kaczor has some way to go before he makes a more indelible mark. That said, his three originals do stand out next to Kastil's remix of "WST15"—looping techno that's as generic as it is functional. As his fledging catalog beings to grow, Kaczor would do well to move his apparent production skills further from such basic applications.
Tracklist01. Ohh
02. Ahh
03. WST15
04. WST15 (Kastil Remix)