Continuing their long-standing gathering of techno’s most talented producers, Second State will introduce the next installment of their revered ‘SUM’ series, featuring artists from Germany, the UK and US, the Netherlands, and Italy.
Minimal techno maven Camea welcomes us with ‘Higher Power’, a wistful opener that manages to retain delicateness despite its booming kick drum. Shakers and soft keys are pebbled throughout, scrambling over rippled claps and a gritty synth that wades in and out of the ethereal elements. A breakdown towards the finale pushes major keys to the forefront with an intense build-up, before the kick is employed to close out. Berlin-based Charly Schaller is next with the punchy cut ‘Sama Sama’. Metallic textures and a robust kick are gradually joined by a gurgling vocal sample reverberating in the distance, while the dwindling melody surrounds. Dutch producer Egbert presents ‘Mnmlstc’, complete with an earth-shattering kick and wompy, wonky bass. A repetitive robotic vocal is peppered in, along with white noise that punches throughout. Fiddling bleeps and hi-hats dart in and out towards the finish, adding extra impact to the fluctuating emotion of the track. Techno powerhouse Harvey McKay drives on with ‘Dragon’s Dynamite’, an impactful dancefloor weapon armed with a growling hoover synth, marching hi hats and babbling vocal sample combined with hard-stepping beats.
Berlin Techno band Komfortrauschen are featured with ‘Jamal’, designed with a warped kick and choppy elements that swipe consistently to create a raucous atmosphere. Frantic, spacey keys circle around with the odd interjection before the kick is reintroduced as a heavier, authoritative component. Turkey-born, Canada-based producer Kuvoka pivots the mood of the record with the groovy, analogue-driven ‘Randomize’. A pulsating beat is accompanied by furious hi-hats and shakers, creating a feeling of urgency. Metallic ringing and textures are layered over wobbling cosmic bleeps & yo-yoing chords that rise & fall around each other seamlessly. Londoner Larry Cadge follows with ‘Lost The Way’ and gets straight down to business with a monstrous kick that’s occasionally reigned in to allow twinkling keys to direct and give structure. A curious bloop sounds amidst the heaviness, giving personality and lightness to the track, along with chords that pur underneath the weight. ‘Escape’ is the closer, produced by familiar Second State face Lerio Corrado. Timid keys rise and fall while shakers and claps shuffle and ricochet constantly. Hurried hi-hats and a bubbling vocal characterize this cut, with the melody gradually gaining velocity to create a vortex of sound. The kick thunders towards the finale, driving this compilation to a powerful close.
SUM 11 drops on Second State on December 31st. You can now listen to the full premiere of Harvey McKay‘s track ‘Dragon’s Dynamite’ exclusively on When We Dip. Enjoy!
Release Date: December 31st, 2021. Buy Here
Follow: @harvey-mckay // @secondstateaudio