Mor Elian - Diva Test

  • Mor Elian swaps polyrhythmic drum workouts for kaleidoscopes of emotion and melody on her latest EP.
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  • Speaking to Truants last year, Mor Elian described the process of A&Ring Fever AM, the label she co-runs with Rhyw, as "almost like picking music with tweezers." Working with the precision of tweezers is a good description for how she's approached production. Each drum and break is placed on the grid with a clinical precision as little hints of melody are reassembled from broken shards of synths. But on Diva Test, she swaps the tweezers for a forklift, constructing a bold and dramatic EP of bright melodies and panoramic emotion. If you listen hard enough, you can still hear the usual UK-influenced techno tropes, but the focus here is all about the mids and tops. On "Beta Zest," a show-stopping synth line—like something that wandered out of a Nathan Micay track—bowls over the garage-adjacent rhythm and gated bass pulses. Throw in the delicate vocal hums and this is a certified sunrise anthem. She hits similarly flamboyant notes on both "Diva Test (Cicada Mix)" and her collaboration with Rhyw, "Liquid Silver." The former has a panpipe-esque lead line dancing over looped hand drums, while "Liquid Silver" is a killer piece of melodic techno in the vein of Barker. "Itch Twitch" is the closest to her previous releases: prickly kick drums, undulating bass and contorted synths all feature, and a striking harp breakdown. It's solid, but the other three tracks are the head-turners. Elian's previous releases have always been exciting showcases of contemporary techno, but this one takes her productions to a whole new level.
  • Tracklist
      01. Itch Twitch 02. Diva Test (Cicada Mix) 03. Beta Zest 04. Liquid Silver feat. Rhyw
RA