Veröffentlicht
Aug 31, 2015Veröffentlicht
August 2015
- Life And Death is an apt name. Though some of the label's biggest hits have been hands-in-the-air anthems, it has a darker side, too. That comes out on Some Things Rise, a mini-compilation that flips through the techno section of the label's rolodex, inverting the mission statement of the 2012 EP Some Things (Fall).
Locked Groove's "Eleven" is the most recognizably Life And Death track on the EP. A '90s breakbeat exercise with mystical synths and ringing guitars, it's serviceable, though it lacks the personality of the Belgian artist's best work. Picking up in the dungeon where Claustrophobia left off, Scuba's "Glacial" is big-room techno full of surround-sound effects and melancholy melodies. But it's the two smaller names steal the show here. Sei A's "Hyper Venom" is a drum & bass-influenced workout that skids down sloping basslines, finished off with some eerie spoken word samples and Close Encounters chimes. Alex.Do steps even further into the darkness with a fluid, Dystopian-style roller built around woozy melodies from the Boards Of Canada playbook. The contrast makes "Rising" the best track here.
In the wake of international success and attention, Life And Death has had some trouble maintaining momentum with a formula that bordered on predictable. And though nothing on Some Things Rise will come as a huge surprise to fans of the label, this darker take on their capital-E emotional style—and from artists like Scuba and Alex.Do, no less—is a reminder of how much Life And Death has to offer.
TracklistA1 Sei A - Hyper Venom
A2 Locked Groove - Eleven
B1 Scuba - Glacial
B2 Alex.Do - Rising