- In August of last year, Créme Organization sprouted a new sub-label, Jericho One, a platform for dark, physical techno with the kind of rough textures so dear to its founder, DJ TLR. The first three records came from artists like BNJMN, Noface and House Of Black Lanterns. The most recent one presents the Toronto duo Jordan Gardner and Andre E-R—AKA Sylvermayne, or 'R', as he appears here—who make music together as Ébony. Entitled Real Truth, it's a seriously impressive debut EP.
Èbony delivers the title track, an industrial techno stormer that starts near full-tilt and only grows more intense, piling on yet another snare, another hissing hi-hat, boosting the low-frequencies on the already brutal kick drum. What makes it truly memorable is its haunting vocal performance. "Is he real? I know he's real to me..." a woman sings in sad tones at the beginning, building to a wail as the track's chaos builds around her.
R's productions are less full-on but still very much for rave-use only. "Focus" is a tense beat tool that erupts in a cascade of searing synths. "Colossus" rides a stuttering groove through a sequence of moods and atmospheres, coming on strong at first, easing the pressure halfway through and then cranking it back up. Sonically, all three are wonderfully vivid, offsetting gravelly textures with smooth metallic ones, evoking grimly beautiful scenes like the one on the record's sleeve. The title track is the obvious show-stopper, but Real Truth is top-tier stuff all around.
TracklistA1 Èbony - Real Truth
B1 R - Focus
B2 R - Colossus