Seminal techno master and Dumb-Unit boss Jeremy P. Caulfield returns to madeOfConcrete with “Tenure EP.” Not one to follow trends, he delivers two cuts of unique techno, marked by depth, atmosphere, and his signature sound design.
Expectations are high if you are familiar with Caulfield’s work. Taking a several-year hiatus after an incredible run that began in the 90s, the Toronto artist returned to production in 2017. He contributed a remix this year for Elias.(DE)’s “Dust Collector EP” on this same imprint. Now he drops his own release on the label that embraces a singular approach to techno spanning dub, experimental techno, and ambient– a whole spectrum of tasty “leftfield” sensibilities.
We begin this foray into his techno mind with “Soffit.” A bright but moody melodic riff begins as spaced out percussion and sidechained swells accent the groove. The track begins to hit hard when a heavier kick snaps in with a hi-hat around the 1:30 mark. The mood isn’t dark, though emotion is building, with an almost deep-house seriousness. A distorted lead takes the feeling a notch higher, and Caulfield manipulates the dynamics with layers of emerging and disappearing hats. The track exists in such a melange of styles that it could easily facilitate transitions to so many interesting places in a dj journey. I personally love tracks that are difficult to categorize, and “Soffit” is certainly one of them.
“Tenure,” the title tune, introduces a funky bassline followed by a cheeky synth hook that repeats in a whip-like motion. Its snappy, sharp tone is distinctive – hypnotic, spacy, and a touch jackin’ at the same time. The bassline’s vibe removes a bit of the seriousness from earlier as it drives the track forward with its more pronounced presence, and the little sick twisted arp pieces appear and disappear, playing with the dynamics in rapid fashion. They sound perfectly strange. Caulfield is a master arranger, always in charge of the energy as he takes it up and down with the various layers.
Rebar’s remix outfits “Tenure” into a cut that’s also difficult to place. Though leftfield in sensibility, it’s driven by deep, fast-rolling bass and hypnotic synth edits. Noise builds, as do the busy claps, the track welling up and subsiding in small waves. Again the vibe isn’t quite dark, but there is something unsettling created, the soundscape playing in anticipatory fashion, the cue to a scene right before the scene where everything will blow up. The whip-like synth from ‘Tenure’ is there in simplified fashion, snapping with the cheeky groove, it’s familiarity strangely satisfying.
Listen to Jeremy P. Caulfield “Tenure” EP on madeOfConcrete at the link above.
-Nicolaas Black
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