Based in Valencia, Spain, electronic producer and DJ Samrat Bharadwaj has been performing and releasing tracks under his Audio Pervert alias since 2008, with this latest download-only mini-album ‘Extinction’ on Alexander Robotnick’s Hot Elephant label apparently offering up his seventh release in total. In this case, ‘Extinction’ draws its title from Bharadwaj’s decision to dedicate the five tracks collected here to climate justice and the 6th mass extinction, with all proceeds from this release going towards environmental protection activism.
Opening track ‘Born’ introduces themes of social activism from the very outset, taking a sampled speech about race and power from US congresswoman Ilhan Omar and placing it against a backdrop of streamlined 4/4 tech-house rhythms and elastic-sounding synth sequences, the emphasis upon the sculpted use of delay and filtered calling to mind the similarly polished Kompakt aesthetic as muted sub-bass pulses ripple against aluminium-light hi-hats and queasily pitch-bent synth pads.
‘Never Too Small’ meanwhile starts off tentatively at first as delicate melodic notes and orchestral atmospheres unfurl against teenage climate change activist Greta Thundberg’s direct and plainly-spoken plea for action, the gliding tech-house rhythms and deeply textured arpeggiated sequences merging with what sounds like twinkling guitar elements, providing a powerful sense of emotive drive that underpins the vitality of the message.
Elsewhere, ‘Omnicide’ gets more dark and stripped-down, sending wobbling analogue bass sequences wandering against dry-sounding techno rhythms and eerie ambient synth atmospheres, the tumbling synth sequences that spiral through the mix adding a vague sense of funk, before ‘Post Extinction’ takes things out with a midtempo glide through rippling arpeggiated sequences, thumping 4/4 kicks and wavering pitch-bent analogue synths that’s a more than fitting atmospheric closer. Polished and refined without ever being too smooth, ‘Extinction’ is worth investigation.
