- Diabolical drum & bass.
- Samurai Music's first album of 2022 comes from Moscow's Torn, whose Borderline ranges from the primal to the diabolical. Torn first appeared on Samurai's sister label, Shiro, in 2017 and has grown a steady following among drum & bass heads since. He's also explored techno on Samurai sister label Horo, and though Borderline never ventures fully outside the drum & bass arena, it pulls from the techno continuum too, though the color is resolutely greyscale. This is ultra-dark and twisted drum & bass. The variation comes in collaboration, as Torn employs a range of Samurai's most exciting artists—including Homemade Weapons, Sam KDC and Presha—to create a full spread of drum & bass that might sound chaotic, but in reality, is surgically precise.
Over the course of these 12 tracks, Torn creates a sort of hypnosis by layering tough, sometimes blistering layers of percussion together. The album opens with "Dislocations," which winds up the tension right away with looped, distorted guitar that brings to mind the feel of sludge metal. Atmospheric drone and reverb create an oppressive sonic cloud, and in the final minute, the rain breaks with the entrance of speedy metallic kicks. The title track follows, reflecting the rest of the LP's sound: hefty drums moving at a raging speed, wiry basslines tearing across the stereo spectrum while ominous breakdowns and deft, impossibly fast hand percussion patterns pummel the ear. The growling bass squelches that find their way into almost every track on Borderline make me imagine some sort of demonic exorcism.
The madness of Borderline is kept in check by Torn's skilled, air-tight production and a formula he's basically perfected by now. Still, tracks like "Bushido" and "Dallo" also highlight Torn's alter ego as a techno producer, sometimes fusing a steady 4/4 pulse with breaks to highlight the half-time aspect. It's not easy to choose a standout here, but the collaborative tracks, namely "Fireball" with Presha and "Boxcutter" with Homemade Weapons, are worth noting. Both cuts are monsters: the former diverges rhythmically from other tracks with an off-kilter intro and slower build, while filthy, echoing bass and tense pads on the latter create a new sense of texture (and even more intensity).
Well over an hour into the LP, the final three tracks mark a gradual opening in Torn's thick bramble of rhythmic maximalism. We finally get some breathing room with slower halftime rhythms and big, reverberating drums. "Automaton Clock" is particularly refreshing, pared down to a skeleton so that the bass growls don't get lost in dense rhythms. The closer "Onibi" with Sam KDC and Korse is one of the LP's best—killer, atmospheric breakbeat that slows the pace while keeping us in its teeth, sustaining the dark energy to the very last moment. While it's easy to get lost in the heady force and length of this triple-LP, this music is made for going in (and going through) and coming out the other side. Based on the album's intensity, it feels like the album is meant to shake you a bit. Although Borderline might have benefited from a bit more variation, part of why Torn has become so respected is because he's mastered a sleek, almost evill style of drum & bass that comes to life here in all its twisted, menacing glory.
Tracklist01. Dislocations
02. Borderline
03. Bushido
04. Boxcutter feat. Homemade Weapons
05. Hyperborea
06. Fireball feat. Presha
07. Unbridled feat. Last Life
08. The Beckoning
09. Dallol
10. The Fear
11. Automaton Clock
12. Onibi feat. Sam KDC & Korse