Canadian dark atmospheric techno duo Overcast Sound (real names Michael Pettit and Jamie Drouin) have spent the last couple of years releasing a steady output of download-only Eps on netlabels including Slient Season and Basic_sound, and this debut album on French label Entropy ‘Beneath The Grain’ offers up their first longplayer and physical CD release. Inspired by the three months the duo spent last year living in Berlin, the eight tracks collected here carry the tangible influences of the likes of Perlon, Basic Channel and Force Inc., with the emphasis falling upon deeply textured minimal techno excursions that frequently stray past the eight minute mark. While there’s certainly a sense of overarching darkness permeating throughout this collection, it’s beautifully matched with lulling, hypnotic rhythms and trailing ambience, resulting in a distinctly headphone-oriented listen that conjures up images of driving through the abandoned German capital at night more vividly than anything else.
After ‘The Place We Left Off’ opens this collection with an eerie segue section that sees glacial ambient drones billowing over crackling glitchy textures and the steady sound of dripping water, ‘Lackadaisical’ sees the pulsing post-minimal techno pulse that powers beneath much of this album locking directly into place, its streamlined rhythms transporting the listener off through nine minutes of lulling yet menacing dub-techno as jagged melodic elements roll between the speakers amidst a spidery backdrop of clicking sharp-focus snares, distant traces of what sounds like sampled children adding a faintly unsettling undertone to proceedings. The aptly titled ‘Devil’s Mountain’ meanwhile sees things venturing further towards Monolake-esque territory, as tentative rhythmic patterns slowly flicker to life beneath a looming thundercloud sky of digitally sculpted bass pads and echoing, dubbed-out metallic tones, before ‘Run’ ushers forth what’s easily one of this album’s most extrovert wanders towards the dancefloor as relentlessly gliding kickdrums power their beneath a veritable forest of refracted-sounding cyborg electronics and gritty percussion flourishes. An impressive physical debut from Overcast Sound that’s likely to go down with those who like their techno deep, subtle and beautifully textured – but move fast, as ‘Beneath The Grain’ is limited to a run of just 500 silver-bound CDs.
Chris Downton
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