Continuing Knotweed Records’ 10th year in existence, label head Phillipe Petit welcomes back long time collaborator Myk Derill to deliver a diverse three track EP of sly house and techno. From groovy to trippy to dubby, Derill keeps the mood steadily hypnotic and danceable throughout the record.
The title track “Suburban Depth” starts off with a tight groove and underground feel much like old school Detroit house music. By utilizing the warm, hard-knocking analog sources made famous in techno and keeping the house beat minimal, underground magic is created for endless warehouse dancing. Derill executes this notion with class evolving the sounds and changing up the beat plenty of times to keep the dancefloor intrigued and moving.
Next up Myk dives fully into techno mode on “Route Network.” The main player in this endeavor is an unsettling modular sequence resembling a system malfunction that grounds you to the madness of his feral rhythm sequences. As if this combination wasn’t trippy enough, at times far in the background are faint samples of random vocals and environmental noise that will surely have some second-guessing their sanity. A refreshing detour from the housier beats surrounding the record.
“21 Floor” finalizes KW043 in dubby fashion with another take on dark and gloomy underground house music. With a full breakdown into reverb decay and white noise emptiness, the concluding number gets as mesmeric as dance music comes. Tight drum grooves prevail again for a sure-fire hit in a warehouse setting, regardless of the calming aura the synths give off. A testament to the German producer’s creativity and far-reaching expertise, the final offering falls far away from the previous tracks on the genre spectrum yet still embodies the same musical excellence.
-Kai Loo
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