Since his debut 12” in 2007, Pangaea’s music has existed in a continual state of metamorphosis. From the ghostly flex of his early singles into the rhythmic vortices of his self-released Hadal EPs, and now the mesmerising dance of ‘In Drum Play’, it’s evolved into a freewheeling strain of ruffneck techno – one ear jacked into sound system culture, the other in the stomping nocturnal psychedelia of UK pioneers such as Surgeon. His DJ sets have developed in parallel, becoming fast-paced acrobatic voyages at the interface of loopy techno and more exploratory UK styles, an aesthetic captured on his 2014 mix for the Fabriclive CD series.
As its title suggests, ‘In Drum Play’ is a product of that feedback loop between the studio and the club. The devilishly funky intensity of tracks like Rotor Soap, More Is More To Burn and DNS emerged from a desire to write music that mirrored the late night dancefloor environments that McAuley has been DJing within. Crafted around sharpened motifs that burrow simultaneously into mind and body, they rank among his headiest and most forceful music to date.
Pangaea’s ‘In Drum Play’ is out now on Hessle Audio. You can stream the whole album from the link below;
