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There is a virulence to Stanislav Tolkachev’s inimitable touch. The Ukrainian is something of a virtuoso when it comes to the techno aesthetic, pushing forward the orthodoxies of minimalism and hypnotic rhythm in his singular and visionary way. His latest effort, Champion’s Breakfast, forthcoming on Raw Waxes, does a great deal to further that vision. As ever, Stanislav deftly walks the narrow line between atonality and harmony, between rhythmic ambiguity and the warped grooves that have become his trademark, and perhaps more than ever this record exemplifies his knack for balancing complex musical ideas with the stripped-back functionality that the dancefloor demands.
Stanislav Tolkachev – Hair In My Mouth
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The more abstract tracks on here, Shady and the wonderfully named Fuck This Guy, are extraordinarily immersive, displaying the producer’s palette while demanding the attention and engagement of the listener. As with so much of his work, the music on this release has a lot more to offer than your typical collection of disposable dancefloor heaters, the atmospheres conjured as relevant to long train rides and late-night study sessions as they are to sweaty nights in abandoned warehouses.
The record is a tour de force of mutated, interstellar rhythmic excursions. The off-kilter, Millsian arpeggios are ever-present, stitching arcane patterns into the eardrum. Icepick modular timbres flay and pluck, textured drones form caustic soundscapes behind the pulverizing drums. Hair In My Mouth is a particularly unsettling zone, and liable to drive any body into a frenzy of contortionist movement. Another standout, The Main Thing Is To Survive, features a looping progression that evokes a certain kind of claustrophobia, gripping and intense. The whole record has a tactile, alien feel to it, setting it apart from the glossy futurism that characterizes so much of the current techno landscape. Stanislav Tolkachev releases are always exciting, but Champion’s Breakfast has us in a state of particular anticipation.
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Pre-order here: https://inkblotsandrawwaxes.bandcamp.com/album/stanislav-tolkachev-champions-breakfast-raw-waxes