- Jamie Roberts has been experimenting since his last release as Blawan. In 2016 he debuted two new aliases, offering introverted and deconstructed takes on the textural techno he puts out on his own Ternesc label. Roberts returns home with a refined sensibility, offering a double EP that's subtler than his last Blawan records—even when it bangs. Though the six tracks on Nutrition might seem straightforward, there's a delicacy to even their coarsest sounds. This includes the bullfrog's rasp on "Fawner," with each melodic element bristling and shifting in response to the others, as if they shared a miniature musical ecosystem.
Like his previous releases for Ternesc, Roberts splits the EP between hypnotic exercises in restraint and straighter club pleasures. From the curious metallic scrapes that perk up the smeared kick on "Mayhem" to the simmering mutations of "Trampelpfad"s jittery lead, the first cuts are all about sinking in deep. Of the more propulsive tracks, "Calcium Red" is the most nimble, with a heavily syncopated rhythm that lightens the gravelly bass and diabolic vocals. But the main draw for many will be the throaty melody of "993," struggling against a crushed kick drum to take desperate flight.
TracklistA1 Mayhem
B1 Trampelpfad
B2 Fawner
C1 993
D1 Atlas
D2 Calcium Red