Blawan’s new EP, 'Nutrition', is out on vinly in the next week, and it is set to become a staple of any good selector’s techno collection. The first solo release this year on his own label, Ternesc. Nutrition’s sound is satisfyingly characteristic of the UK producer and DJ, who has been hailed as a pioneer of the industrial techno revival, and came to prominence with the track ‘Why They Hide Their Bodies Under My Garage’.
Never one to shy away from meaty mechanical soundscapes, the young Dorset-born artist is a rare master, making miraculously thoughtful, nuanced and complex music that spans dubstep, techno and garage. Unsurprisingly, 'Nutrition' is packed full of more ceiling banging weirdness. There is a distinct sense of cheeky humour throughout the EP, in its extremes of aural-experimentation. The record is shot through with a visceral sense of the unknown, of exploring dark, strange places. Blawan’s fondness for weaving vocals distorted beyond recognition into the fabric of his tracks is also evident, particularly in 'Calcium Red', which feels like being commanded by an alien being.
My personal favourite tracks are 'Mayhem' and '993'. 'Mayhem' is slow, raw, dark and metallic. It is deeply self-assured and evokes a primal urge to stomp your feet around and scream. The cranking main melody is laid over an ominously steady two-note tune, which pulses up from underneath, bringing a deeply unsettling nature to the track. The beat marches unhurriedly along, continuously building in intensity, but never quite piquing. Strange, vocal-sounding "woops" mingle with intermittent injections of drilling drums, until the whole track is reclaimed by the unaligned, juddering, dominant melody.
'993' is an apocalyptic, rumbling tune. The top line buzzes around assuredly, unpredictably, and is brought together by a slow moving, melodic undertone, that swells and subsides, inflating and deflating the track in tide-like waves. It is characterised by a euphoric sense of abandon, created by the pairing of rich, rounded base drums with the cacophony of growling and distortion running about on top.
'Nutrition' is a unique treat, constantly surprising and deeply fulfilling to listen to. Overflowing with the genre-defying, fundamentally gratifying style that we’ve come to expect from Blawan, it is sure to be sprinkled over dark and sweaty dancefloors for years to come.
5/5
Buy: Vinyl
Words by Dora T