Exercise One / In Flux EP
Vinyl / Digital
Exone / Released May 2013
Berlin duo Exercise One unleash some decidedly dark and intimidating techno, saturated in atmosphere and 3AM dancefloor tones, delivering a trio of tracks that- when heard in succession- could almost stand as one piece of music. Moving from moody opening bars- Ice Age, with its growling synth line, choir-like refrain, and bleeped hook- to the more driving but no less ominous next (Submerged), it’s certainly a case of putting pedal to metal.
Final furlong Vapor doesn’t let up, although in many ways takes a lighter, or less menacing approach to making bodies move. Fresher percussion, spiraling effects, and a wonderfully punchy beat and bass combination, married with soaring background string chords, making for easily the biggest of all three tracks, albeit there’s plenty of stripped action going on, with the focus very much on hi-hats, toms and build. Impossible to ignore, and like its two siblings here, impeccably produced.
