(Techno, Experimental) Perc - A New Brutality EP - (Perc Trax [TPT053]) - WEB - 2012, MP3, 320 kbps

Whilst the majority of techno producers run themselves into the ground focussing on a small square of Berlin dancefloor Perc’s musical universe expands at a frightening rate, taking in influences from across a number of contemporary genres,
‘A New Brutality’ is Perc’s first full release since his debut album ‘Wicker & Steel’ was released in June 2011. Since it’s he has contributed to Stroboscopic Artefacts first ‘Stellate’ compilation and appeared on a split 12” in partnership with Xhin for the same label. As a remixer he has served up rerubs of Surgeon, Tommy Four Seven, Walls and The Black Dog and has recently completed three remixes of Factory Floor for release on DFA. Add to this a busy touring schedule that has taken him to the USA and Japan this year as well as weekly gigs across Europe and it is clear Perc is in as much demand as ever
Opening up with the EP’s title track, this is Perc at his most dominating, as he presents five and half minutes of pure controlled noise. Purposely different from your typical big room techno banger, it still has the power and individuality to be a highlight of any club set. ‘Cash 4 Gold’ see’s Perc toying with his beloved broken beats once again. Not dubstep, not bass music, yet hinting at both these genres it features nagging monosynth blips and the same type of melodic lines that characterised ‘Wicker & Steel’, all floating across one of Perc’s trademark industrial-tinged rhythms.
‘Boy’ is the only straight 4/4 track on the EP, built on a groove that is all its own. Topped off with the kind of noise tones that echo classic early UK industrial music rather than the hissing digital white noise of current peak time techno, the track shows that even a Perc club track is far from your standard kick/hat/stab fodder. Closing the EP is ‘Before I Go’, possibly Perc’s most introverted track to date, as melancholic piano and organ chords are tainted by an uneven percussion break and a fog of industrial dirt.
credits
released 29 June 2012
All tracks written & produced by Alistair Wells.