- Horror-tinged broken techno and bass music on a promising new Dutch label.
- Identified Patient and Gamma Intel have been sprinting along the same path through the Dutch scene for the past several years. Some of their first releases landed on Rotterdam-based label Pinkman, and in 2022 they shared the decks for a memorable back-to-back set at Dekmantel Selectors. Now, they've banded together to mint their own label, Nerve Collect, with Identified Patient taking the honors for the inaugural release.
Elevator Music For Headbangers plays like a horror film, with Identified Patient venturing further into the depths he excavated on his previous 2020 EP, Nerve Deposit. He loosened his chokehold on the grueling 100 BPM burners that caught the ears of Dekmantel and its label in the late 2010s, and has since shifted his gaze to apocalyptic broken techno.
The EP begins with "Walk With Me," where a throaty vocal and blown-out acid sounds beckon the listener to follow Identified Patient deeper into his creation. Eerie vocals like this serve as a motif throughout the whole project, with a demonic, Speak & Spell-sounding AI blaring unintelligible ramblings on "You Are The Loop," or the faceless sirens that chant unsettlingly on "Dead Demo." Its not just the voices you have to look out for here—a chainsaw-revving synth in "The Devil Is Blue" and blistering breaks on "The Fun Never Stops" only add to the dystopian scenery.
Around every corner of this six-track EP is another dynamic jumpscare from the Dutchman. Sometimes he'll only use a particular stab or sample once or twice. The suspense of expecting it to return only builds the tension before he flips the script to unload an entirely new fiery barrage of sounds. The title's use of "elevator music" is obviously tongue-in-cheek, and Identified Patient and Gamma Intel have their sights set on pushing some wild sounds. This is "exactly the sort of leftfield electronics to expect going forwards," they write in the release notes. So far, so good.
Tracklist01. Walk With Me
02. You Are The Loop
03. The Fun Never Stops
04. Dead Demo
05. The Devil Is Blue
06. Second-Hand Nostalgia