Kamera Arc EP
Erol Alkan's Phantasy Sound label comes through with another indie-dancefloor-techno-drone treat.
Erol Alkan‘s Phantasy Sound has been unearthing some fine talent over the last two years, offering a spring board to the likes of Daniel Avery, Ghost Culture and U—and the label continues to lay its cards on the table with a new, shadowy figure joining the ranks. Kamera—following the same acidic, indie-dancefloor-techno-drone that the likes of Avery have created to a tee—brings in sharp acidic flourishes, punk-laced ethics and experimentation galore.
Kamera’s debut EP, Arc, pulls no punches in showing the sound of a new kid on the block, without drifting from the label’s ethos of music that avoids sounding stale, repetitive and formulaic. Opening track “Prince Valium” is a short, sharp shock to brain, by way of bouncing acid bass stabs, zipping and unpredictable drum patterns, and thundering, double-hit bass as the tracks rhythm literally pounds on. Its heavy, brutal and abrasive, but retains a sense of clarity and melody.
“Cold Land” nods to the likes of Venetian Snares, LFO and Ceephax Acid Crew, notching up the tempo to a syncopated, Amen-laced track that’s more in line with the jungle-breakcore crew than the acid-techno heads. 5/7 timing, crashing cymbals and punishing jungle rhythms display another side to Kamera’s all-seeing eye. “Arcsecond” comes to life amid a wave of fire-and-brimstone atmospherics, before a foghorn-style, dirge-blues riff heralds the coming of the storm, remaining beatless and focusing on its hypnotizing, enveloping drone riff.
Closing the EP is “SR,” growling and growing evermore more dense as marching percussion beats transform into an industrial analog frenzy, slowly creeping and taking hold amid metronomic rhythms, mechanized flourishes, and a autonomous groove, mixing elements of techno, deep house and minimal dancefloor aesthetics. Stunning and unique, it’s another triumphant move from Alkan’s forward-thinking label, an exciting, alternative body of work that refuses to be ignored.