"Packed with the assets of an instant classic for fans of these sounds, ‘100‘ portrays an artist who doesn’t just have big ideas, but clearly knows how to execute them with flawless precision"
After a year-long hiatus, Trudge returns with a new EP titled ‘100‘ on Lobster Theremin’s sub-label 1Ø PILLS MATE, one of the small labels dedicated to the now classic sounds and rhythms of the ’90s and early ’00s club music.
Though his passion for this era of electronic music was already a matter of public knowledge – check his excellent releases such as the cathartic ‘Buried Hopes‘ 12″ or the equally ethereal and subtle ‘Negative Spaces EP’, this time Trudge really pulls off the bangers and certainly some of his most epic pieces to date.
The running order plays a crucial role here: track by track the tempo gets faster and the listener can not but sense that crescendo in quality. Actually, the result is so powerful throughout that the high-quality ambient opener, ‘A’, almost seems insignificant next to all the hitters.
Full-on breakbeat monsters adorned with thick, arpeggiated synthwaves, ‘From Sorrow To Darkness’ and ‘Burning Inside’ deploy the kind of narrative technique that has you feeling like watching the most climax-friendly / CGI-intensive part of some high-octane action movie. ‘Tool‘, meanwhile, is a proper rough and tough acid house cut, which definitely sounds like the older brother of ‘Inside Of Me’ from the ‘Negative Spaces EP’.
Where the latter made for a levitating and delicate piece of work, ‘Tool‘ is 100% gritty and absorbing – strictly meant for the busiest moments in the club, when the clock hits 2AM and spirits are high. Starting with Evelyn Stoker’s monologue from the 2013 movie, Stoker, EP closer ‘страсть’ is the ultimate floor-buster: unleashing a high-intensity build-up by way of sophisticated 4/4 rhythms and a hefty drop of prog-trance aesthetics – it’s sure to cause mind-ripping flashes for the last two minutes.
If recently there seems to be more and more artists focusing on revisiting one of the most inspiring eras in club music, Trudge has to be one of the most intriguing producers to watch out for in that stream of new releases. Packed with the assets of an instant classic for fans of these sounds, ‘100‘ portrays an artist who doesn’t just have big ideas, but clearly knows how to execute them with flawless precision.
‘100’ is scheduled for release in vinyl and digital formats 19 April 2019. order a copy from Bandcamp.
TRACKLIST
A1. A
A2. From Sorrow To Darkness
A3. Burning Inside
B1. Tool
B2. страсть
Discover more about Trudge and 1Ø PILLS MATE on Inverted Audio.