Published by Davide Pappalardo on August 10, 2018
Fatum is not only the first work by techno duo Disordered Kind (Austrian producer FNX and Slovakian DJ Leia Drex), it is even the first output by independent Austrian record label Mai Lei Bel, founded by Vlado Juščák, A first step for both of these new realities in the form of a 4-track EP on vinyl and digital. Here you will find eerie and evocative techno cuts with chilling atmospheres, dense soundscapes and engaging rhythmic patterns. An uncompromising sound with many references to the roots of the genre, but at the same time with a modern abrasive dark edge recalling sweaty dancefloors and solitary listening sessions.
Awaken starts things up with its shrilling ambiances and ominous tone, adding static line and distant reverbs. Then disturbances introduce pumping bass sounds and straight rhythms aligned with sampled deep vocals, giving us an evocative techno experience for the night of the soul. Disordered Kind don’t aim to our throats, they instead strike our minds to the core developing mysterious soundscapes. Inkin uses from the start riffing distorted lines and hypnotizing rhythms, displaying a crescendo which finds its climax in obsessive claps and eerie atmospheres. Snare sounds complete the rhythmic patterns, while dark undertones can be found in the background. The second half of the track reaches almost cosmic deliveries, engulfing the listener in its dense sounds.
Khorin is a rhythmic affair with pounding bass sounds and 4/4 beats underlined by old-school bass-lines. Sharp effects are added during its development, giving us abrasive pauses and serpentine factory-line sounds. The number slowly turns into a more energetic techno episode for the dark dancefloor, showcasing acid atmospheres without forfeiting the aforementioned elements. The last part offers us hard drums in an obsessive ride toward the end of the engaging song. Eiron ends the EP with more techno-oriented sounds and rhythms, employing stomping bass sounds and grim atmospheres full of dystopian qualities and almost cinematic soundscapes. A grooving rhythm dominates the building of the cut, focusing on midnight-sessions and crawling lines interspersed with combative snare drums and looping beats.
A great start for both the label and the artists, Fatum is a solid techno EP with its eyes looking at the past and the present. Dark elements and eerie soundscapes underlines solid techno rhythms and old-school elements, conjuring misty dancefloors and cinematic atmospheres and delivering music for the body and the mind, as techno should be in its finest form. The aficionados of the genre, be it listeners, clubbers or Djs, will find here new material for their, nights out, listening experience, and for their collection. Welcome to Disordered Kind and Mai Lei Bel, and let’s hope for way more to come.
Label: Mai Lei bel
Rating: 7,5