- Last year Jichael Mackson released a dub techno monster that sampled Chris Isaak, ‘The Grass is Always Greener’, which was one of techno's greatest surprise moments in 2007. There's nothing on this 12-inch that is quite so noticeably jaw dropping, so momentarily confusing. Instead: the whole thing is confusing.
Phrases such as "psychedelic" and "twisted" are generally applied to every track with a bit of out of time delay on them nowadays. But if you like your dance music genuinely fried, then look no further than this. Time is suspended as loops unravel, percussion zips and lines appear and disappear. Most of the sounds used here unsettle. Which is nice, in a sort of momentarily satisfying way, but the A-side obsfucates too much for its own good, and never really settles on something memorable.
The B is an entirely different matter. The use and modulation of each loop is precise and considered; the drums jitter without losing momentum. The skanking horn falls in and out of the mix with perfect timing. Just when when you think you've settled in, the counterpoint string line swoons, and you're in heaven. ‘Piepe’ is still dark, and unsettled, and psychedelic, but it does it with style and a touch of melody.
Not quite Chris Isaak, but close.
TracklistA Schnurz
B Piepe