Ardent / Swallows

This latest installment in the Stroboscopic saga once again calls upon the talents of two label veterans; both having released EPs on the label while also contributing to its five-year retrospective series. This new split release shared between Kangding Ray and Rrose is a fitting partnership: after all, both individuals are known for advancing the progress of rhythmic electronic music while drawing from creative influences and movements that weren't typically associated with the 'techno' lineage until these producers made such links possible.
Kangding Ray's side, "Ardent," is a gripping and propulsive piece formed in the same spirit as the songs from his latest full-length, Cory Arcane. Dramatic and cinematic from beginning to end, it makes the listener and/or dancer feel like a highly alert martial artist slicing and kicking through a host of liquid-metallic adversaries, with disciplined synth bass and rich melodic swells as defensive weapons. Slick and accessible without ever being conventional, "Ardent" convincingly collages stuttering and minced sequences together with steady percolation and smooth, brassy undertones – three different sonic 'states of matter' that unify to make Kangding... more