Ida Engberg / ‘Owl’s Nest’
12″ Vinyl / MP3
Truesoul / Released October 1st
You know those moments. A low-slung 4/4 collapses into a simple, tom-drum breakdown that loses nothing of the momentum developed by the beat, but instead serves to ensure that, when the kick returns, it’s felt with even greater ferocity. It’s at the centre of the ‘tech’ sound, and proudly takes the wheel on these driving tracks.
Far from the most prolific of camps, Truesoul aren’t renowned for the quantity of their exports. Quality on the other hand usually comes guaranteed. Ida Engberg’s first release strays neither from the path of the righteous established by Drumcode‘s sister label, or her own Ellen Allien-esque brand of rhythmic hooks, heads down drops and white noise crescendos. In short, both tracks aren’t that surprising, but should nevertheless significantly satisfy devotees and new disciples alike.
Those with something of a keener eye for the intricacies of techno should see the juxtaposition of tracks here. The simplistic ‘here’s where things get tough’ nature of Owl’s Nest, with its hypnotic tempo, falls into the wider, housier beats of Little Shadow– making it clear the two tracks need to meet in a mixer. And while you might not see these standing out in memory at 6am after 8 hours of solid tunes, it’s hard to imagine a good set without this type of high quality, solid and understated sound getting played.
