Debuting on Token with his 'Blind Witness' EP, Pierce serves high-intensity cuts produced with finesse and flare. An architect of wide dimension, the producer works meticulously not only on the bite of his elements but the textures that glue everything together. Diving into immersion, Pierce executes four surgically precise tracks that burst at the seams and onto the dancefloor. Beginning with ambient work, a haunting kick/bass combination follows shortly with metallic motion in the stereo field. Patient in its structure, the title track 'Blind Witness' takes its time to develop into a full capacity thriller by its midpoint. It's a dense product, but nothing oversteps its boundaries - a tip of the hat to question/answer techno that characterizes the most efficient records in the genre. Continuing in the spirit of demonic low-end, 'There is No Self' takes its turn. With a hand on the resonance, the bassline cuts through an eye twitchingly saturated rumble to later add a layer of bright plucks, filling up the spectrum to insure a firm grip on the dancefloor. Classic in construction yet cutting edge in technique, Pierce imposes the weight of the A side through the constant evolution of stark elements. 'Vulnus' follows to appropriately push depth into the EP, subtracting channels for a more intimate experience that remains anything but light. Shaking the lead throughout the track, the roundness of his bass meets perfectly with the punch of his percussion, swaying the hats in pitch to add a touch of psychosis. 'Secret Patterns' ends the EP on a slightly more vintage note. Increasingly playful on the drum machine, the lead and pad take a good amount of space occupying the mid range. Bubbly textures rise from the depths to pop at the surface in the second half and although Pierce's sound design on the project is usually very sharp, his dosage of rounder sounds like these make his tracks sound very complete and complimentary. This balance of design to compliment each element is a tough feat, but Pierce funnels his expertise into very precise intention, making 'Blind Witness' a force to be reckoned with already so early in the year.

Token Techno (Raw / Deep / Hypnotic)

Checking back into Token with his unmistakable sound, Nørbaks Chuva delivers four relentless slices of modern techno. Stretching textures and grilling circuits, the EP presents itself as a statement expressing a high pressure dancefloor experience. A proper introduction is never far from the Portuguese artist who has consistently pulled inspiration from ambient and experimental music. With one minute of drone to seemingly guide the experience, a swift switch decidedly flexes Sonho. Bending pitch and texture is a big theme in Chuva and the A1 leaves nothing to the imagination as Nørbak makes his intentions as clear as ever. Switching to Leveza, the producer takes a minimalist approach with accents on the percussive arrangements. Whipping delays on off-beat drum hits create an unreal acoustic environment while maintaining a maximum amount of tension. The synth line remains insistent as rides and various hi hats urge the track into psychosis with every transition. The titletrack Chuva takes a similar approach in the power of warm sound design, but this time we see a focus on warped melodics that are blissfully mixed in a track constantly bordering on chaos. Opening and closing the space, Nørbak takes to detuning his main synthline to create eruptive sections in the record while brewing a storm of ambience in the stereo field. As the final chapter, Capa bends almost to a break. Rhythmically expressive in every way, the track drives the EP home with a dangerous bassline and dry percussion to ride off of it. Signing off for this latest contribution to Token records, Nørbaks flare in the studio reasserts his position as one of technos most anticipated creators of recent years.

Checking back into Token with his unmistakable sound, Nørbaks Chuva delivers four relentless slices of modern techno. Stretching textures and grilling circuits, the EP presents itself as a statement expressing a high pressure dancefloor experience. A proper introduction is never far from the Portuguese artist who has consistently pulled inspiration from ambient and experimental music. With one minute of drone to seemingly guide the experience, a swift switch decidedly flexes Sonho. Bending pitch and texture is a big theme in Chuva and the A1 leaves nothing to the imagination as Nørbak makes his intentions as clear as ever. Switching to Leveza, the producer takes a minimalist approach with accents on the percussive arrangements. Whipping delays on off-beat drum hits create an unreal acoustic environment while maintaining a maximum amount of tension. The synth line remains insistent as rides and various hi hats urge the track into psychosis with every transition. The titletrack Chuva takes a similar approach in the power of warm sound design, but this time we see a focus on warped melodics that are blissfully mixed in a track constantly bordering on chaos. Opening and closing the space, Nørbak takes to detuning his main synthline to create eruptive sections in the record while brewing a storm of ambience in the stereo field. As the final chapter, Capa bends almost to a break. Rhythmically expressive in every way, the track drives the EP home with a dangerous bassline and dry percussion to ride off of it. Signing off for this latest contribution to Token records, Nørbaks flare in the studio reasserts his position as one of technos most anticipated creators of recent years.

Token Techno (Raw / Deep / Hypnotic)