Mershak – Industry (Jelly Bean Farm)

0

Los Angeles based electronic producer John Bosson has been releasing tracks under his Mershak alias since 2014, but the appearance of his track ‘So Tuff’ last year on Jelly Bean Farm’s ‘Exit’ compilation saw his profile increasing considerably. While his initial releases saw him operating distinctly in the dubstep arena, his ensuing work has seen him move away from that territory, increasingly incorporating elements of techno, electro and IDM into his productions.

Having said that though, the influence of bass music and its various splintered subgenres is palpably present amongst the six new tracks that comprise this latest download only EP ‘Industry’. Opening track ‘Acid Tammy’ straps a thumping 4/4 kickdrum to a backbone of grinding distorted bass synths and booming drops, but in this case it’s the treacherous nature of the grooves that offer up the real intrigue as the lower frequencies suddenly drop away in place of swishing snare shuffles and pitchshifted ragga vocal samples echo in the background.

‘Arpochondriac’ lives up to its title, as dark EBM-tinged bass arpeggios flex and contort against steel-edged dubstep rhythms, the writhing sequences being filtered into acid squelches while eerie metallic tones reverberate in the gloom. If the aforementioned track sees Bosson reaching for the more fearsome, industrial-tinged end of the post-dubstep spectrum, ‘Behind Them’ opts for a more breaks-tinged path, sending ‘Apache’ breaks rattling against layers of waspy synth trails and shimmering arpeggiated sequences while sonar-like blips periodically ripple up to the surface.

‘Industry’ meanwhile sends doomy chords and jittery robotic synth-sequences sliding against the sort of contorted electro rhythms and seismic bass drops that you’d associate with the likes of Milanese, as slurred robo-vox drag themselves through the mix. Brutal and impressive, this excellent EP marks Mershak out as a name to keep an eye on.

Share.

About Author

A dastardly man with too much music and too little time on his hands

Leave A Reply