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Recommended by us on 26th November 2010
...according to our Clinton on Thu 25 Nov, 2010.
After the James Blake travesty its good to hear some electronic music that retains a modicum of edge. Martyn has been around for awhile doing his downtempo techno thing and this two track 12" er is a superb example of what he do mixing genres in his melting pot. 'Left Hander' features late period drum & bass beats skittering along effectively, synths stabbing away and the odd techno squiggle here and there for good measure whilst overleaf we have a much more squeaky 4/4 affair into which toy town child like organs are introduced halfway through - almost the most ridiculous sound to put in there but it works and in doing so saves the track. The whole thing builds up nicely over top with lots of acidy squelshes, distant synth lines and banging beats. I like this a lot.
After a year dominated with collaborations (the Great Lengths remix double pack), fresh blood and inveterate genre renegades (Illum
Sphere’s Titan EP & Altered Natives ‘The Bitch/Crop Duster’ respectively) We at 3024 came to the conclusion a new Martyn release
was perhaps overdue. Not so much an album preview as a standalone document of a year spent expanding dance floor horizons over
(a great many) seas. 3024’s milestone 10th release arrives in November with 2 brand new Martyn tracks as ‘Lefthander’ clatters in on
heavily filtered drums, flickering high hats & garbled radio transmissions before a carousel synth melody breaks through the
percussive murk accompanied by a roaming bass line that prioritises restraint over bludgeon. Dubbed out ambience rapidly takes
root in the gaps between concrete snares & dissonant brass stabs as bass and synths elevate themselves for one last round of call &
response sparring before dissolving back into barely audible dialogue. Steam age industrial monolith ‘Shook Up’ swaps slink for
haunted metronomic brutality, snapping quickly into focus first with relentless kicks before bass akin to an Atari2600 playing Berghain
looms over the clouded horizon. Offsetting the claustrophobia is the first hints of melody as an impossibly slight piano phrase creeps
in, countering rhythmical pummelling with ghost in the machine delicacy. Classically spastic 808 tendrils are underpinned by soaring
synth strings as proceedings draw to a juddering close. Capturing 3024’s musical progress with typical accuracy Erosie’s latest
sleeve design is perhaps his best yet, echoing the back to basics theme with beautifully austere monochrome geometry curdling into
something altogether more volatile at the edges.
a Martyn - Left Hander
b Martyn - Shook Up
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