OBSCURE FORMATS "CRYPTID"Catalog reference: Pb82
Release date : June 2020 Format : • Digital Tracklisting :
01. Mothman 02. Dover Demon 03. Basilisk 04. Ahool 05. Grootslang 06. Thunderbird 07. Tatzelwurm 08. Beast of Busco Info : For those less traveled in the weirder parts of nature, a cryptid is a creature of legend. Every country has many cryptids, each with their own particular appearance, mannerism and myths. Think Bigfoot, Loch Ness Monster and whatever your own local variety of swamp monster is. ’Cryptid’ also happens to be the latest album from Obscure Formats, the project of Raab Codec, Component Recordings head honcho and one half of the fantastic modular horror duo Snowbeasts. Cryptid takes a leap into more beat driven territory following on a slightly similar route taken by Snowbeasts on their last record. Make no mistake: this album is in it’s own realm among Codec’s work. It’s a sidestep and four steps int the future with a solid underpinning of percussion driven tracks. “Mothman” pulses with synths like the beating of dusty wings against a lone lightbulb over a throbbing 4x4 beat. “Dover Demon” flutters fast from left to right in the stereo spectrum with hypnotic arpeggiations reminiscent of Pan_Sonic’s early works, while a steady bass pins the listener to the earth. “Basilisk” could be the bastard hybrid of DAF and Clock DVA with its heavy martial tones and steady synths lines. “Ahool” is a dry, bass-driven study is a hard edged minimal techno as if Kraftwerk were suddenly overtaken by mind-controlling alien wasps with synth fluttering in and out of the darkness on leathery bat wings. “Grootslang” hits hard with a steady kickdrum pinning down bass synths and claps in a ritual murder of sound. “Thunderbird” evokes a strong Detroit techno feel with its 303 bass, 909 drums and spectral arpeggiated synths melody riding thermal heat waves the track generates. “Tatzelwurm” is a steady state techno banger, driven so subtly by the deft drum programming the synths are almost forgotten under the driving beat. “Beast of Busco” is the album’s slightly slower cloing track, but make no mistake: it hits just as hard as the album’s other 7 tracks, leaving one feeling as if they’ve been whisked away by a strange creature in the night as the reverb drenched synths linger in the background. “ Calligraphy by : Josh Yelle All tracks written, mixed, and mastered by : Robert Galbraith (Snowbeasts) |
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