Cape Town’s Daryn Steytler hones in on his dark and gritty signature sound with his latest four-track EP “Quasar” on Trau-ma.
Over the past six or so years, South African producer and DJ Daryn Steytler has been putting out high quality tunes that run the gambit of Electronic Dance Music subgenres. From deep, dubby House, to Minimal, to Progressive, and nearly everything in between, the young artist has been busy exploring four-on-the-floor dance music of many varieties.
That said, his current dark and textural take on Techno truly stands out and has even garnered support from some serious heavyweights in the scene, including Lindsey Herbert and Kaiser, to name a few. His productions have been consistently above average and continue to get better; an improvement that seems inherently linked to the creation of his very own label, KONCEPT. As of now, Steytler seems to have settled on a particular style of upbeat, dark, and hypnotic Techno for the music he releases, and for good reason. Many of his most recent productions have found their way to one of the most respected labels for modern Techno, Portugal’s Trau-ma. Now, Daryn Steytler returns to the esteemed imprint with a second 4-track EP of heavy hitters, titled “Quasar.”
From the get go, Steytler’s current menacing sound is on full display. The opening track, “Highly Strung,” kicks things off with a rough and gravelly modular loop that refuses to relent. Pounding drums sound full and polished, but still rugged and powerful. A foreboding ring of a bell sneaks its way in and reverberates through the mix, juxtaposing the rough noises while simultaneously adding to the tension. Next is the dub techno anthem, “Medium Chords.” Staggered synth stabs establish an ominous mood yet feel smooth as silk. This, paired with the booming low end, makes for a solid track for the warehouse.
The title track, “Quasar,” also stands out. Guttural sounds that would feel right at home in a horror movie steadily creep in and tug at your psyche. Last, is the grand closer, “Tool 2.” A sporadic synth line brings the EP closer to what you might call the peak time, but a repetitive modular bleep noise keeps this track highly hypnotic. Dizzying and dazzling, “Tool 2” is more than just a tool, though it certainly can be mixed with one or more tunes without over complicating the groove.
“Quasar” might just be Daryn Steytler’s best work to date, and we look forward to hearing more from this newly emerging talent. Support the artist and label with a digital download via the Bandcamp page, linked above.
-Jeronimo Watson
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