- Mystical sounds from the Fourth World.
- On Diabel, Patricia Kokett's debut for the Dutch label Knekelhuis, there are references to Japanese yōkai, a Polish horror film and Nigerian spirits. The Lithuanian producer, AKA Gediminas Jakubka, is keen to connect a pan-global mysticism to his music, which on Diabel amounts to an eccentric collection of tracks informed by wave and industrial. Jakubka is at his most convincing on "Serpiente," a cyborg Fourth World kingdom with the sounds of flora and fauna turned stiff and artificial. "Diabel"'s slow chug of staccato bleeps and collapsing claps suggests a similar environment, though you might wonder how exotic this place actually is once you hear a quacking duck.
"Mmuo" cycles through trumpeting elephants, tabla patterns, ritual chant and a carouseling synth lead, but its meandering path never quite leads to a satisfying vantage point. The effect is meant to be trippy, but some of "Mmuo"'s gestures to exotica are clumsy. Its partner piece, "Mmuo Trance," is better for stripping away the excess. Underneath a sizzling synth lead, a steadily rotating bassline becomes the track's main motor, with howls and chants echoing subtly through Jakubka's gleaming electronics. Diabel's best material seems as inspired by the mechanical as it is the supernatural.
TracklistA1 Diabel
A2 Mmuo
B1 Serpiente
B2 Mmuo Trance