- What happens when you get two of dance music's biggest noisemakers in a room together?
- Kenyan producer Slikback and Sicilian-born Shapednoise exist on the peripheries of experimental techno, noise and extreme computer music. Like moths to a brilliant flame, this intrepid duo first crossed paths at a Mannequin x PAN showcase at Berghain in 2019. Brought together by a mutual appreciation for avant-garde sound design they got together for a few days in the SoundCloud studio in Berlin last month. The result is DRS X, a four-track collaborative EP that draws from Memphis rap, trap, noise, footwork and bass music.
Starting with a moan, the project repurposes typical genre tropes with an array of dank studio trickery. "Xoysime" carries the satanic, lo-fi sounds of old Southern hip-hop, as the dark atmosphere and groaning vocals paint a picture of evil frogs in some cursed creek. Hyperreal synths cut through the mist on "Trionstrapx," which boasts an industrial strength trap-inspired thud. "Off The Rails" is another gnarly, relentless tune with intense clattering and frenetic drum work that evokes a frigid winter's night spent hopping between clubs.
A few months ago Slikback released MELT, an album where he collaborated with over a dozen artists including Objekt, Tsuzing, KMRU, Ziúr and Brodinski. Here, once again, his fierce sonic signatures become subtly intertwined with a formidable (and equally hyperactive) peer in Shapednoise. The results are catastrophically good.
Tracklist01. Intro
02. Trionstrapx
03. Off The Rails
04. Xoysime