“Voodoo Time EP” offers up a hefty dose of unrelenting techno and electronica straight from Delhi-based record label Antariksh Records featuring cohorts, Fr4ctal and Nightdrive.
Fr4ctal, aka Chinmay Parashar, focuses on the euphoric spectrum of acid-fueled soundscapes. He has collaborated with local Mumbai talent as well as artists all across India, garnering both local and international attention. Fr4ctal now joins forces with Russian native Nightdrive, aka Alexey Guskov, a versatile producer who bounces around genres effortlessly, highlighting a wide array of house, techno, and electro.
While the “Voodoo Time EP” provides tinges of techno, it also incorporates styles from leftfield to bass, and even trance. Fr4ctal lays down the law with modular funk on the first track, using dissonance in the harmonies that groove along to the bass slap, making for a trippy, far-out tune. “Voodoo Grove” creates a spacey headspace that travels along like a science fiction odyssey. Impressive patterns are woven intricately throughout the journey, ramping up dynamically in the last minute or so for a nice sense of release at the finish line.
Nightdrive sticks with low bass frequencies on the second track “One” but switches the flow to a four-to-the-floor cadence. Elements of acapella are sharply embedded, bringing life to the sinister, yet hopeful sounding track. Picture a tuned-up Toyota Supra on a Moscow highway as dusk turns to night with only the open road lying ahead.
Fr4ctal dials back the energy level in his second offering, “Now Is the Time.” He hits all the right notes and amps up the soul. An introspective piece, it presents creative implementations of leftfield style. Fast moving snare shots, eerie background echoes, and clever sound effects fuse the parts together wonderfully. The impressive modular gear is apparent in the tone of the song and lends itself symbiotically to the rest of the EP. It’s the kind of tune you can listen to at the end of a long day to completely zone out.
“Network Connection (подключение к сети)” rounds out the EP with an esoteric, drum heavy track, further proving the versatility of the artists involved by producing an onslaught of funky and otherworldly sounds. The arpeggio towards the middle of the track adds a cool touch to the dubby groans found throughout the song.
We hear some really avant-garde production prowess from Fr4ctal and Nightdrive. Both artists represent their proverbial home teams well, making for a weird and wonderful EP for the heads to enjoy.
-Jack Plumb
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