Review: AnD Kundalini (Electric Deluxe)

AnD Kundalini

Electric Deluxe

12'' // Digital Download EDLX034

Dimitri from Manchester duo AnD has a very clear mission statement: "It's all about getting hard man, harder and harder and harder." While for some artists a move to Electric Deluxe might signal a softening or a move away from dancefloor brutalism, AnD retain their hard, uncompromising edge while also opening out their sound to new textures.

Kundalini punches in hard from the start. 'The Jellyfish' is the most conventional or linear track. Featuring a heavy kick and harsh details, it splinters and fragments dramatically in the last section before the kick punches back in at -2.32. Played loud, this colossal moment will knock the unwary off their feet. Euphoric devastation.

The bleepy sequence that structures 'Dysekt' only slightly softens the massive, potentially internal organ-rupturing kick and detuned rave elements. When the kick returns at 4.53 after dropping away for a while it's hard as hell and even more massive.

'Dtadtmat' has a relatively subtle introduction but is soon dominated by heavy, rolling, bass and strict beats. These are later joined by harsher metallic elements. In contrast, 'IcDbYc' is an ominous bleepscape, quite similar to the dark industrial visions of Australian artist Black Lung, and a worthy sonic successor to his work.

After the storms, the (relative) calm. 'DTR' is a very filmic 10 minute track featuring an eventually almost overpowering bass frequency. It has a very industrial atmosphere but a more contemporary-sounding percussion gradually creeps in. Despite its rough, abrasive textures it's an atmospheric track of great depth and precision.

It's really too soon to describe this powerful set of tracks as one of the releases of 2014, but if it doesn't turn out to have been one of the best of the year it will have been a truly exceptional year.