London duo Dense & Pika have returned to release their first ep on their very own off shoot label Kneaded pains. While the pair have never released on Kneaded pains yet there has been a serious statement of intent laid down by artists like James Welsh and Blake Stone. The label was created to share and explore their shared love of bullish and brazen techno. This is straight party focused music. No upety techno with high notions of itself trying to be something that its not. None of that new age art gallery techno. What you see is what you get and on this occasion what you get is nothing short of fucking terrific.
Mitten ep is classic Dense & Pika with a typically grimey warehouse feel throughout the two track record that refuses to drop in tempo or intensity throughout. “Delta System” is the opener. With its pounding low down melody and a warped lo fi vocal it is the perfect start to this record which reminds me very much of Scotlands techno wizards Clouds. Unrelenting and unapologetic this is an instant hit with me and something that I could easily see filling the record bags of any techno head worth their salt.
Over on the flip side is “Mitten” but don’t let the ambiguous name fool you this is no less devastating than the A side. They get a little more adventurous on this one with a flurry of drum machine inputs but keep to the generally chaotic outline of the record. While a track like Delta System was always going to be tough to follow up on, this does a damn good job of it. This is a seriously impressive release from everyone’s favorite techno duo that shows once again that they are way ahead of the curve. Highly recommended and coming to a sweaty dance floor near you soon.