Despite clocking at just over the thirty-minute mark,
Burnerism is no negligible affair. First official
release from Manhattan’s Team Shadetek, this mini
album does more than introduce the sound of this duo
currently officiating from Berlin. Founding members
of the New York art collective Change Agent, which also
features visual artist Swoon, responsible for the cover
of Burnerism, as well as a handful of maverick
graphic artists, musicians, film makers and clothes
designers, Soze.sht and Zach Zizmore (aka M. Schell
and Zack Tucker) grew up in downtown Manhattan listening
to hip-hop, reggae and jungle. The pair started producing
music back in 1999, increasingly blending their urban
influences with that of British electronic pioneers
like Autechre or
Aphex Twin. Yet,
their early releases remained surprisingly conservative
considering the angle adopted by the pair, sticking
to hip-hop, ragga and dancehall a tad too closely for
comfort. Yet, their last self released EP, Swoon,
demonstrated a slightly more adventurous take on their
subject, and Burnerism confirms the pair’s
experimental touch.
The artwork created by Swoon for Burnerism
sums up the atmosphere of this record. Chaotic, dark
and layered, the collage suggests an apocalyptic futuristic
urban world that only remotely relate to our traditional
cityscapes. Team Shadetek apply a similar mould to their
blend of hip-hop and ragga, clearly repressing any obvious
melody or rhythmic structure in favour of gritty noises
and abrasive beats. This sometimes results in the pair’s
compositions slightly lacking of clear direction at
first impression, but repeated listening reveal multiple
semi-hidden layers that appear to imperceptibly move
each track forward. If Two & A Half Months
and Lanolin remain relatively accessible, on
Menthol, Limes or Infamy,
Soze.sht and Zizmore turn up the heat and grit to great
effect, injecting shards of melodies here and there
to distract from the main organic structure which develops
in the forefront, only to draw the attention back to
the dirt with virulence. Of the eight tracks presented
here, these three are by far the most promising. If
at times slightly reminiscent of Autechre
circa Chiastic
Slide, Team Shadetek offers with this mini-album
a convincing vision of abstract hip-hop that would have
Prefuse 73 sound like
a jolly brass band ensemble and said Autechre
pass for gentle bards.
Burnerism is not an easy record to approach,
and requires a few listens before it is possible to
fully appreciate its depth. Team Shadetek creates with
this album an intricate piece of abstract hip-hop and
push the boundaries of their oblique universe into dark
corners. Despite obvious references, Team Shadetek establish
here the foundations for their own sound to grow into
more robust and challenging records.
4.7/5 |
