- After a run of remixes by other artists, Berliners Freund der Familie return for the fourth release on their eponymous imprint. This pair of tracks have already moved particularly quickly, making it into the sets of Sven Weisemann and the like, who himself has already contributed his fair share to the burgeoning project.
Clocking in at a little under nine minutes, "Symbian" is billed as an edited version, which makes me more than curious to hear the track in its full glory. Shadowy, atmospheric and progressive, it resembles a great bird wheeling steadily inwards towards its prey without ever burying its claws. The slow rise in tension is like a cruel game, while the dubstep-inflected beats skip like a steadily racing heart. The percussive work is particularly impressive, adding surprisingly soft layers of rhythm and syncopation to crowd in the dub synths and slowly build the compelling pressure.
"Pewars" is longer still, but a slow burner, ploughing along workmanlike thanks to its chugging cymbals. The light-hearted bass bobbles battle doggedly to lift the gloomy, industrial ambience of the slithery metallic echoes until the rugged beat drops in. While a little heavy, "Pewars" never gets dull as there is always a little change around the bend to keep it interesting.
TracklistA Symbian (edit)
B Pewars