- K2, another pod to detach from the Kompakt mothership, has been dubbed a "retention pond" for music by newcomers and established artists alike such as Robert Babicz, Steadycam and Gui Boratto. John Dahlback, a Swedish machine with a taste for splodge, minimal and electrohouse, is beginning to make the Kompakt offshoot his own: this is now his third Hug 12" on K2. On 'The Platform' Jesper's little cousin paves his own way with some bumping freaky grooves but may be suffering from hyperactivity: lately he seems to churn out three records a week!
Delving deep into spooky-house territory, the title track sucks us down into a squelchy quagmire of bass and beats. 'The Platform' is a menacing piece similar to Dahlback's earlier K2 release "The Angry Ghost": weirded out chords and spooky trippiness for those 4 a.m. moments when you can't find your way home.
With trepidation we turn over to the flip and the bizarre vibes continue with 'The Chopper'. Careful with that axe now, Eugene! Almost psychotic, listen to this unaccompanied and you'll feel like you're being stalked. Despite occasional neat touches, it's difficult to imagine how this track would work in a club. Definitely not for anyone with a dodgy ticker!
Dahlback completes the triola of terror with 'Faceless is More'. More of the same weirdness, this is a cheekier affair with crushed bass and wriggling synths that wrap around the beats and choke the life out of them. It's a close call whether 'Faceless is More' is stronger than 'The Platform' - what hampers it is a lack of melody and rhythm.
Dahlback abandons the arpeggiated, electro sound of previous releases such as 'Dance Attack 2' in favour of mystery. Quirky? Yes, but a little lacking in emotion and depth. It could take Dahlback time to get where he's going with Hug but it's clear this is a project where he can venture into the unknown without having to move the floor. Previous Kompakt 12"s like Bartsch's 'Light in the Dark' have indicated the label's taste for abstruse exploration. Whether 'The Platform' achieves this is questionable.