Recondite – Think Twice EP [Life And Death]
Need a gnarly, dirty, and overall dark/depressing techno fix? Look no further than Recondite’s new release “Think Twice”. Consisting of two techno tracks, Recondite manages to use simplicity and space to great effect. However, in many ways this also detracts from his ideas and takes away from what are some great beginnings of ideas. The first track is the namesake of the release and is an eclectic mix of sounds and discordant melodies. As I said, Recondite uses space effectively to create a dark, empty, and almost space-age vibe to these tracks. Synths pop in and out and are used for minimalistic melody as well as for flavor in the background. However, a vast majority of this track ends up being rather uninteresting and what really improves the ideas as a whole is when Recondite gets rid of a lot of these elements and leaves the percussion and the bass line to speak for themselves. It sounds tight, the bass-line absolutely booms through your speakers, and there is something very satisfying in the restraint Recondite uses to create said space. I just feel like the synths and more busy parts of the track aren’t as interesting to listen to.
The second track, Serak, is much deeper and darker than the first. Featuring a larger emphasis on reverb and bass-accompanied percussion, this track is low and slow with a very laid-back attitude. Throughout, it suffers from some melodically uninteresting synths, and the space once again comes back to bite Recondite in the butt as it tends to cause the track to be a bit bland. That being said, the bass line is produced very well and this piece of music is reminiscent of something Pantha Du Prince would make and that is never a bad thing.
While there are many issues with this release, those of you who enjoy solid techno with a unique sound should give this a listen. It lacks in many ways, but also has a lot of positive qualities to it and I’m interested to see more from Recondite in the future.
