Since he first emerged under his I Hate Model alias in 2016, Parisian electronic producer Guillaume Labadie has had something of a rapid rise in profile and fanbase, with releases on labels including Aries, Toxic Waste Buried and Rave Or Die. This latest 12” EP ‘Spreading Plague’ offers up Labadie’s debut release on Perc Trax, and collects together two new tracks alongside a remix from label boss Perc himself (in fact, it’s apparently his only released production for 2018).
On the A-side, title track ‘Spreading Plague’ offers up a near ten minute long ride through thundering 140bpm industrial techno that sees eerie minor key synths evoking horror movie-esque atmospheres as steel-edged snares carve out a path against whirring machine samples, squiggling acid lines and disembodied spoken vocals.
While there’s a pounding post-gabber feel at work here, it’s subsumed in an aesthetic that feels more lead by classic EBM / industrial sounds, something particularly brought out by the crashing metallic breakdown that occurs halfway through, which suggests a steroid-ed up take on Nitzer Ebb more than anything as distorted synths urgently pulse away.
Perc contributes a characteristically strong remix that strips back some of the more steel-plated textures in favour of more airy hi-hats and stacked handclaps, but retains all of the original version’s dark energy as growling sub-bass rumbles menacingly against piercing siren-like synth tones – in this case though it’s ‘Martial Order’ on the flipside that easily offers the most jackbooted EBM techno stomp here as phased metallic percussion clanks away against sinister bass arpeggios and whining synth leads. It’s hard to pick highlights here though, and fans of Perc Trax’s characteristically hard rhythms will be thrilled.
