- Mall Grab goes gabber, sort of.
- This year, the Australian juggernaut Mall Grab, AKA Jordon Alexander, started to assemble his crew. So far, it includes two lesser-known Aussies, Nite Fleit and Brisbane's Skin On Skin, who each contributed tracks to Alexander's new label, Looking For Trouble. Alongside serving as a platform to promote up-and-coming talent, the label has documented Alexander's evolution from housey pastures to grittier fields of techno, electro and rave. Strangers, a collaborative EP with Skin On Skin adds gabber to this list of references.
Strangers is named after the pair's only collaborative track, a melancholic roller that derives an angsty intensity through a plaintive hummed vocal melody. It's pretty different to the other four tunes on the record, two solo tracks and remixes from each contributor. For one thing, they're all more aggro. Blown-out kicks and macho vocal loops drive both "?" and his remix of Skin On Skin's "Got Me Fucked Up." These are head-bashing beats, especially the gabber-tinged "?." Skin On Skin's original ends up feeling the grooviest, as its electro rhythm lays a slick foundation for sub-bass hits and winding, distorted synths. Overall, the stylistic variation on Strangers muddies Alexander's identity. It may been stronger as a solo record by Skin On Skin, perhaps with a Mall Grab remix.
TracklistA1 Strangers
A2 Mall Grab - ?*
A3 Mall Grab - ? (Skin On Skin Remix)*
B1 Skin On Skin - Got Me Fucked Up
B2 Skin On Skin - Got Me Fucked Up (Mall Grab Remix)