Published by Davide Pappalardo on August 16, 2018
We left Hendrik Grothe‘s techno-industrial project Blac Kolor with his first output for HANDS, the experimental and IDM tinged album Awaken in which techno/EBM structures met rhythmic noise patterns in what is probably his most accomplished effort to date. A mark of maturity redefining the sound of one of the most promising acts of the current characterized by the fusion of techno, industrial, EBM and various kind of electronic music, transcending the sheer club material in searching something connected with the roots of the past, but with eyes on the present and the future.
Never one to rest too long, he now returns with the 4-track EP Sacred mastered by Sid Lamar and released for aufnahme+wiedergave. A work continuing the recent set of awesome releases by the German label, and showcasing a robotic techno-industrial sound with gloomy atmospheres and straighter patterns than the last album. That’s not to say Blac Kolor is going on auto-pilot on this EP or that things are taken for granted: we just have a different scope, a series of tracks with dark EBM elements laced with surgical techno structures and morose soundscapes with cyberpunk elements.
The title track starts our journey with its old-school minimal beats and precise pulsations, outlining a rhythmic march with eerie synths and ominous lines. A crescendo made of a slow adding of elements configures a growing cyborg climaxing in captivating distorted loops. Few elements, but perfectly placed and timed, without forgetting a contagious bass-line in the last section of the track. Crucial instinct delivers electro-industrial grimness in the form of hard beats and throbbing effects reached by old-school techno melodies and robotic sampled vocal lines. After an effective pause the episodes opens up to grandiose rhythmic mantras with enthralling arpeggiators and keys. The attention toward the sound-design is shown once again, using repetition as a weapon of choice not because of a lack of ideas, but because of its inherent hypnotizing qualities.
Things is a groovy mantra underlined by tense atmospheres and stark dark techno rhythms made of beats and cutting snare drums. Once again old-school structures are at display, mixed with distorted synths and riffing sections. A majestic melody conquers the track, completing the dense soundscape with its shrilling notes. We reach a sort of post-modern tribalism thanks to the obsessive rhythmic structure, guiding us amidst the various elements toward an almost psychedelic experience. Hope welcomes us with its diaphanous sounds and dark ambiances, conjuring a subtle and crawling ambient loop encapsulated by sudden samples and droning disturbances. A combative drum sound shows itself without exploding, giving us a play at holding without release. A number made of hidden tension, a never climaxing energy disintegrating in the void of the finale of the piece.
Blac Kolor takes a hint or two from his last endeavor, but instead of focusing on pure sonic and rhythmic research, he roams more freely in the soundscapes built upon his droning mantras and grim atmospheres. He knows the difference between an album and an EP, developing in the last case self-contained sound-worlds with their own narrative. The evolution of EBM and techno tinged electronics, Zeitgeist of the modern days industrial scene, permits different paths and directions while erasing the boundaries between club material and sound-research, giving back the music to the body, without forfeiting the mind. For sure Blac Kolor is a perfect example of all of this.
Label: aufnahme+wiedergabe
Rating: 7,5