- It's not hard to see why Swedish duo Skudge has won such acclaim after just a handful of releases. They do not reinvent the wheel or present brand new ideas, but rather very skillfully refine and hone existing ideas and sounds. This approach is in keeping with the dominant narrative that prevails in the techno subsection that Skudge belong to—the anonymous vinyl, purist-influenced sound that is synonymous with Hardwax and Berghain, but which now reverberates around the world.
None of this is meant to do Skudge a disservice: actually, the opposite is true. Of that cohort who chooses to remain nameless (or unidentified), Skudge are among its most effective practitioners, and what becomes quickly apparent here is the great economy of sound. There are just a few elements at play in each track, but each one fights to be heard. On the title track, the chords gradually fade in, with the bass and drums remain in the background. However, after a minute or so, thundering claps and hissing, noisy hats accentuate the chord dominance. Later on, Skudge bring in a vocal snippet—one of the most underrated elements in the loop techno canon—and harder, gained drums that will appeal to anyone weaned on the '90s output of Mills and Landstrumm.
"Mirage" features a more housey groove, which is accentuated by a lighter, filtered chord sequence, and an almost catchy vocal sample, combined with its skipping, swinging percussion. This is Skudge in less serious mode and "Mirage" is exactly the kind of track that Ben Klock would play early on, before the heavy artillery is brought out. Despite this, "Mirage" and "Overture" both manage to sound distinctive, which given the circuitous nature of the self-referencing gene pool Skudge inhabit, is quite an achievement.
Tracklist A Overture
B Mirage