Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Depth Charge: 'Mecha Squirrel' (12", DC Recordings)



Artist: Depth Charge
Artist: Mecha Squirrel
Format: 12"/digital download
Cat.no.: DCR80
Record label: DC Recordings (UK)
Date: 23 February 2009

Tracklist:

1. Mecha Squirrel [Part 1] (5:49)
2. Mecha Squirrel [Part 2] (4:17)
3. Shy (6:00)

Credits:

Written & produced by J. Saul Kane.
Recorded at Iron Monkey. Mastered by Mike at The Exchange.

Press release notes:


The creation of 'Mecha Squirrel' has been a long and arduous struggle between the various machinations that inhabit J. Saul Kane's mind. In the lengthy hiatus since his last release under the Depth Charge moniker (2004's 'Hi Voltage Man') his musings have taken many points of focus: the homeless cats of North-West London, the aesthetic charms of Japanese bubblegum machine cards, but always in the background has loomed the ferrous monstrosity of Mecha Squirrel.

Drawing on arcane lore, 'Mecha Squirrel' transports you to a new sonic galaxy that is emergent in Kane's mind although very much keeping with his own tradition of powerful rhythmic electro, razor-sharp breaks and bizarre sonic ruptures. Augmented by the spoken word mythologizing of an unknown narrator -- Part 1 -- and then rendered at its most percussive and dancefloor-focused -- Part 2 -- 'Mecha Squirrel' evokes the dual dimensions of Kane's deviant imagination at its most promiscuous.

B-side 'Shy' sees this imagination's more sordid dimension giving vent to the funk of potent pent-up creative forces. Polyrhythmic percussion lines drive a P-Funk swagger around staccato melodies and off-kilter electro bass, whilst demented voices evoke unknown orgiastic pleasures. The genesis of these we can but guess at, but the heightened activity at Kane's Iron Monkey studio promises more to come...

1 comment:

Afront said...

Excellent stuff - and what a great cover! This release (along with many many more from DC) is on Spotify too.