- If you live in Paris, as Tomas More does, then December is when the days are shortest and the sunlight scantiest. It's a neat alias for an artist whose stylishly grim productions have appeared on Mannequin, In Paradisum and Jealous God. There are different kinds of dark, however. More's techno-informed takes on EBM and industrial have often been anti-socially scuffed and distorted, rich in mood but not ideal for a dance floor. These tracks for Helena Hauff's Return To Disorder, by contrast, are commanding, full-frequency and slamming when they want to be. They're perfect fodder, in other words, for Hauff's sets, which bring the dark and dangerous onto big stages.
More hasn't radically changed the ingredients of his music to make this transformation. Charcoal textures, skulking grooves and imperious spoken vocals remain the recipe. "64 Ways To Rob A Friend" delivers them at a stiff-limbed 140 BPM. The drums are lacerating and the mix bruised with distortion, but the whole thing stays somehow light-footed and playful. The mood curdles on the B-side. "A Place To Stay" is claustrophobic, a stampede of drums and yammering EBM bass that doesn't let up for eight minutes. In between the two, "90 Feelings" offers some breathing space—the drums retreat to a slouching halftime, More's voice to a malicious whisper—but no let-up in mood. The days won't get lighter for a while yet.
TracklistA1 64 Ways To Rob A Friend
A2 90 Feelings
B1 A Place To Stay (Live Mix)