- Of all of the techno talent that now resides in Los Angeles, Kenneth James Gibson may just be the most wide-ranging. He's apparently working on a chamber pop album with one-half of Stars of the Lid, his work as [a]pendics.shuffle has brought forth some of the most compelling Stateside minimal techno and, now, under his own name, he offers up two tracks of drugged out tech house.
It's clearly the sound that Culprit, the imprint run by LA's Droog crew, is going for. "Animals Tonight," featuring the vocals of Kelly Johnston, has myriad dark corners. Voices echo into the distance, synths disappear into the distance, kick drums melt before your very ears. Gibson is an expert sound designer, and he utilizes his talents to (tech) pop ends here. The best part? The keyboards that sound like cars going from 0 to 60 in only a few seconds, leaving trails of neon in their wake. That, or being able to sing along to someone who proposes the option that you could "be like insane animals tonight."
Those more interested in the instrumental route will find plenty to like in "The Forgotten Note" as well. Similarly tuned for late night dance floors, everything that you hear in the track in the beginning eventually gets tweaked in some fashion over the course of its seven minutes—whether it be the lightly serrated melody, the bulbous bassline or the voice that echoes into space. Gibson's coup de grace is an organ from Mos Eisley Cantina that will sound understated at home, but surely does damage on the floor.
Less interesting to these ears, but perhaps better geared toward peak club time play is Inxec & Matt Tolfrey's remix. It straightens out the rough edges, leaving you with the feeling that things may get insane. But only after the song ends.
Tracklist1. Animals Tonight
2. The Forgotten Note
3. Animals Tonight (Inxec & Matt Tolfrey's remix)