Mad Techno Invasion

Hackney Wick, London duo Wallwork & RZR (comprised of Tommaso Wallwork and Ady Razor), having cut their teeth as ghost producers for some of the UK's finest for years, are down to leave the ether and substantiate as a powerhouse club act of their own, courtesy of their impeccably-produced Infinite Machine debut, "Mad Techno Invasion".

Breaking the ice with fiery number "The 361", W&R promptly display their prowess as sleeper cell veterans. Driven by sparse, overdriven, sluggish 808 kicks, a slo-mo title chant, and unrelenting, crisp upbeat claps, the track is an exercise in elegantly reductionist rave, interspersed with wistful junglist harmony and abundant varispeed vox hype.

Second track "Massive Reactor, built on an elektro backbone, toys with liquid, jazzy inflections, but mostly exists in a realm of explosive industrial beats and subversive kick patterns that entail a gut-wrenchingly suspenseful and suspended feel. Masterful sound design pervades.

"Mad Techno Invasion" juggles staggeringly lush UKG passages with metallic, unhinged techno that sometimes slows down into half-step grooves, seemingly channeling oldschool dubstep alumni.

"Tonatiuh Dance", the most punishing of the five, is a syncopated beast that once again imbues the listener with that suspended sensation – drops from the get-go and never looks back. Constant tension, but calibrated as such that it is always almost too much, but never too much, and most certainly never too little. The track is self-referential in that it segues into sounds of labored breathing, medical machinery, and wild animals towards its finale.

Closer "Keep Going" is a thoroughly explosive rave hardcore finale, reliant on pirate radio mainstays such as BPM-repurposed jungle breaks, tempestuous reese bass, hoover histrionics, and earworm diva vox frantically repeating that the listener should "keep going". On an EP chock-full of rinse-worthy material, that is advice to be taken to heart.

Be kind, reeewiiiind…