Solid Blake - Mario EP

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  • Since his move to Berlin and heightened DJ profile, Detroit's Stingray has come to symbolise electro's new lease of life. The Urban Tribe member is described as a "massive influence" on the music of Solid Blake, the Glaswegian third of Copenhagen's Apeiron Crew. Her debut solo release, which launches the in-house label from the Glasgow club La Cheetah, makes you believe it. Her tracks are noxious and sharp, full of scything drum work and ominous sound design. The major difference between Solid Blake and Stingray is speed. As Stingray demonstrates on his remix of "Mario," he's not afraid to accelerate beyond the reach of most contemporary techno DJs. In this case, 140 BPM is necessary to bind together the track's vivid but disjointed sound effects. Blake stays in the 130 BPM range, and her tracks suffer a little for it. "Yagharek" is the best, its duck-diving hi-hats and hi-tension kick drum helping crank up the funk. It also has the EP's best non-melody, an ugly smear of pitch-bent lead tones. The title track could do with more compelling development—its semitonal bassline lingers a bit too long, and the hi-end squeals that work as a countermelody don't quite pull their weight. Wedged in between, "Lens" is a spooky palate-cleanser, four-and-a-half minutes of morse code bleeps and dissonant pad clusters.
  • Tracklist
      A1 Mario A2 Lens B1 Mario (DJ Stingray Remix) B2 Yagharek
RA