Karenn - Music Sounds Better With Shoe
This review is about two fabulous tracks made by Pariah and Balwan alias Karenn- a Bristol based Techno DJ Duo - as part of their EP Music Sounds Better With Shoe.
The first track On Request is a result of a Boiler Room session in 2014. Following wildspread demand in the aftermath of their performance to publish a studio version, it took them nearly five years to record a satisfying version. On Request sounds industrial, formed through several rumbling sounds that Karenn built onto each other. Observing these components individually, each of them on its own is relatively subtle and steady for a techno track. Underlined by a determined bass drum a driven and stompy sound is the result. The track creates a lot of width due to its reverberating sound - imagine standing in a big hall sensing the dark bass everywhere on your body.
The following track Shoes Off is for me the best techno track of 2020: It stands out because of its extremely interesting and complex build-up: Starting off calmingly with soft sounds that seem to come from far away, the music suddenly comes closer, the tempo fastens with the bass drum kicking in. The track falls into a hectic looped melody which once there never leaves the track. The supporting sounds render the track increasingly hectic, hurried and even terrifying as the sound gets more scratchy and rumbly. Marking the end, the scratchy sound suddenly breaks off with the entry melody appearing again, ‘calming down’ the listener. This sequence sounds like a ‘bright spot’ in contrast to the hecticness before. As we think we are at a calm end point, once more the melody gets taken over by the rumbliness of before. The tempo increases more and more and the shredding even seems to surpass previous levels - I find it a great peak and exiting development.
As the five-year span it took them to release this EP might indicate, the Duo Karenn doesn’t focus on releasing their music. They are a highly demanded live act and well-known for improvising analog techno. Thus, for any further examinations of Karenn listen to one of their live performances; for instance a performance recorded at Munich's former techno outpost MMA.
(Sneak peak for the ones among us in a rush at minute 18:00)
Listen to Music Sounds Better with Shoe on Spotify:
