- After making quite the first impression, Recondite is back with more melancholy delights, hardly surprising considering he named the label "Plangent." However, while pensive clouds still block the sun, a few beams are beginning to shine through.
The B-side of this release reminds us why we're paying attention to Recondite in the first place. "Yield" is a brooding journey through a reverb hall; with classic TR drums and wistful synth lines. "Backbone" opens with a kick and bassline that mean business. Joined by John Roberts-style tom fills, the percussive elements of this track hit hard. When the delicate synth chords and patterns drop out we're left with a raw and menacing groove that juxtaposes any sorry state we might have been lulled into. In his recent debut live set, Recondite let the tracks to roll for extended periods, showing that while the subject matter may be deep and contemplative, his music is meant to be danced to.
On the flip we find by-the-numbers dub techno in the form of "Haptic." The elements of the track arrive expectedly and the whole effort has a slightly formulaic feel to it. Sure, it's nice to get a brief insight into the aforementioned joy that has been absent from his released work so far, but it nonetheless falls a little short of the mark.
Tracklist A Haptic
B1 Backbone
B2 Yield