- Massive techno loaded with detail.
- You know that old Maxell ad with the guy whose hair gets blown back in his armchair as while he listens to his evidently badass tapes? That's kind of what it feels like when you press play on "Step Beyond," the title track from Los Angeles techno producer EAS's new EP. The kick drum is impossibly huge, but it's also sculpted—these are well-engineered tracks that do more than just bludgeon.
EAS's three originals here take up every inch of the stereo spectrum with plenty of nifty details, like the Nitzer Ebb-style howls in "Step Beyond" or the way that the serrated EBM melody contrasts with distant chiming bells in the background of "Take Your Position." And the thwacking "Absolute Territory" features a breakdown that borders on the absurd—what sounds like a clip from a samurai movie, hoarse yelling and clashing swords—yet goes down just right.
EAS's tunes are so overwhelming that the remixes, instead of an afterthought, function like a pressure release valve. Rising star Keepsakes' version of the title track focuses on a slap-happy snare patter, with the rest the track fed through a flanger. It's tight and brittle where the original was a tidal wave of sound, offering a different perspective on things. And in case EAS wasn't hard enough for you, Slave To Society turns "Take Your Position" into an overdriven breakcore track, careening into random breakdowns and stops that provide short breaks from the pummeling. Step Beyond is a wild, over-the-top EP, but one of the most fun and gleefully punishing records I've heard in some time.
Tracklist01. Step Beyond
02. Take Your Position
03. Absolute Territory
04. Step Beyond (Keepsakes Remix)
05. Take Your Position (Slave To Society Remix)