- For two techno giants who are each worth their weight in Funktion-One subs, Lucy and Ben Klock are especially restrained on their first collaborative release. The four-track War Lullaby favors winding tension and dark open spaces over outright grooves or rhythmic assaults, but that's not to say those things never appear. The dubby "Santeria" is built on a sci-fi 4/4 pattern with a tenacious thud. Towards the end of the title track, a glimpse of mid- and high-range percussion serves as its modest climax. The rest of War Lullaby, however, is pure atmosphere and subdued movements, which, for some, could be a disappointment coming from two producers known for full-bodied techno.
Nonetheless, Lucy And Klock have no trouble proving themselves in other ways. "War Lullaby" crafts its deep, moody churn in a tightly sealed pressure cooker, and will undoubtedly open its share of DJ sets. Despite being a short, beatless synthscape, the airy arpeggio in "Bliss" is an intoxicating rhythm ripe for a drum-centric edit. But there's little contest as to the EP's strongest moment: "Santeria" capitalizes on the duo's idiosyncrasies for six and a half minutes of subterranean dance music. Lifted straight from Klock's playbook, the bin-busting hard stuff carries the track through a cobwebbed maze of Lucy's sound design. There's a strong sense that War Lullaby only skims the surface of what its producers can do together, like an intriguing precursor to the highly anticipated main event.
TracklistA1 Bliss
A2 War Lullaby
B1 Santeria
B2 A Ghost Lovestory