Mathias Kaden - Synkope EP

With big name DJs dropping their skittering, minimal experiments amongst the flashing lights and seething bodies of Europe's finest techno hangouts, Vakant are rapidly establishing themselves as the next big thing in Berlin minimalism. Remix / reinvention wizard Mathias Kaden has been at the forefront of this new assault and his Synkope EP looks set to make playlists everywhere. These three tracks of densely-layered groove fuse avant-garde musical riddles with solid dancefloor beats in a style akin to Chain Reaction's techno-dub output. A-side 'Synkope' lures the listener in with swathes of synthesised melodic vocals that mask the sporadic, crowded beats rippling under the surface, whilst B1 'Sinthylooper' kicks off with a pounding percussive bassline that morphs into a minor key, clipped melody running around the speakers. The attention-deficit clicks and beeps of Nuance emphasise the insolvability of these delicate experiments, skittering and jumping around a four-four thump, but infuriatingly feeding back into static and nothingness, demanding constant reply. [Liam Arnold]