Sean Kirkpatrick
One of my favorite techno producers Steffi made an EP for my favorite goth/post-punk/synth label. This is all the things I love in music converging. My only complaint is that I want a full-album of this. Maybe it's in the works! Favorite track: Scalar Property.
Berlin-based, Dutch-born Steffi possesses near-boundless prowess. As a DJ, she’s proved her effortless mastery of disco, house, electro, and techno; as helm of labels Klakson and Dolly, she’s long maintained her status as tastemaker; as a producer, she has graced us with three solo LPs and numerous 12”s. Dark Entries is now honored to unveil the debut of her project Crushed Soul, a moniker she had used only once in 2013 for an Ostgut Ton compilation track. The mutual esteem of Steffi and DE has been previously fruitful, with Steffi providing a remix for Cute Heels’ 2016 EP on DE, but this is their first full-length collaboration.
The Family of Waves EP represents both familiar and novel pastures for Steffi. While her love of electro and classic Detroit techno have been oft-evident, here we witness the darker shades of new wave and industrial creep to the forefront. This turn for the twisted feels not just natural, but predestined, an inevitable succumbing to morbid forces. But Steffi also views Family as “a playful association...a mix of my past and new modern waves". There is a kernel of whimsy, even joy, lurking within the record’s temporal jumblings. The A-side opens with “Gravitational Field”, which juxtaposes its gnarled bassline with unearthly percussives and a recurrent resonant gong. The wild sonic palette speaks Steffi’s singular voice. “Scalar Property” continues the paranoid propulsion with an unhealthy dose of what can only be described as Metroid-funk, its staccato bass jabs interlaced with ghastly vocal pads. The B-side contains a diptych of slower tracks that juggle reference points both retro and futurist. In “Family of Waves”, a churning EBM-esque bassline battles acerbic yelps. On this track, the collision of past and present is most pronounced, as if A Split Second were covering Mike Parker. “Diffusion of Heat” closes the EP with what feels like a perfect synthesis of Steffi’s musical passions: funky, warbling chord stabs; intricate rhythmic diversions; the ecstasy of repetition. Here, disco, new wave, and techno marry harmoniously, if only to inform us of the disharmony of our present.
All songs have been mastered for vinyl by George Horn at Fantasy Studios. The sleeve and accompanying postcard were designed by Eloise Leigh using video art stills by Goldenliustra.
supported by 23 fans who also own “Family Of Waves”
This album is a great sampling of some interesting new wave sounds. I had never heard of any of the artists on this before, but the whole album is great.
You will hear something you haven't before if you listen to this!
congealedmeat
Producer couple Local Suicide's debut LP is filled with moody technodisco and contributions from Lena Platanos, Theus Mago, and more. Bandcamp New & Notable May 26, 2022
supported by 18 fans who also own “Family Of Waves”
A unique spin on the Detroit minimal techno sound, with a grimy urban-industrial edge that keeps me coming back for more. The original release was a bit murky, and this remaster cleans that up nicely. without compromising the shadowy feel that made it so good in the first place. Not since Sandwell District have I heard dark techno of this quality... PannionSeer