A proper way to celebrate the 100th entry to the catalogue of Devotion Records is from none other than the label co-founder Lucas Freire, who delivers an EP that took us by surprise. Consisting of four agitated techno compositions and a transition track set right in the middle to “divide” the release in two, this work is a pure example of the producer’s devotion to the genre. In a way that is capable of refreshing the direction of what the label is about. Lucas’ creative mind approached Letal with a surgical focus revolving around two main characteristics: groove and straightforwardness. The created sounds provide a multi-flavoured trip in a high density texture field, reaching imaginative peaks. As a result, this release seems to broaden the range of sonic explorations to new standards, causing a major step forward in terms of production technique.
Cavera starts off with a strong, twisting pounding that digs into the sparking bowels of Lucas’ machinery of ideas. A welcoming rhythm dive liberates an encased, but discreet atmosphere patiently awaiting for its take off, cleverly used to pave the way for all upcoming elements to combine in a frenzied symphony. The elements’ passionate eagerness to stand out in a feverish antagonism adjusts our tuning mechanisms to fully perceive the EPs environment, while waiting for the self-titled track to come up. With an unstoppable motif the transition to Letal is so smooth that it is almost unnoticeable. However, the essence of it is quite recognizable with its bouncing percussion and its mind-bending vibrations. Only a few seconds within its grasp and we are knee-deep into the most frantically hypnotic of tracks. Employing uncompromising patterns, circling around and closing in like a whirlwind, we are destined to be captivated completely.
Steering further into the chasm, what’s left now is to “evade” Paranoia. Its atmosphere depressurizes from the addictive patterns of the previous creations with alarming noise, while the descent to the farthest edge of the subterranean world continues. What we are about to face there can only be answered by listening to the two remaining tracks. Sinistro, as its title might imply, assaults with an aggressive, war-like tempo and a deep, somewhat primal sense of a surrounding terror of the unknown. A setting so darkly unique with loops imagined as twinkling coils with a mission to cloud our vision and guide us to a feverish dance. The alarm we found in Paranoia is, once again, triggered to unveil the imminent closing and prepare us for the final discovery. In a similar fashion as the opening track, Veneno gathers the pulsating, trippy pumps and lines only with a tad faster kick and entrapping hats.
These clean, impactful and precise tracks courageously and emphatically invoke a new era for Devotion Records. Lucas presents in this EP a compositional resourcefulness that sets new heights to his renewed personal contract with techno music. The direction that he’s headed to can only bring satisfying results and we are eager to see what the future holds.
The EP is available in digital format on Devotion Records Bandcamp.