Driving Through A Tunnel That Is Filling From Both Ends brings us the collab we didn't know we needed.
KXB’s second record is a cross-continental collaboration with Berlin vocalist/filmmaker, Thrush (from Concentration band). Driving Through A Tunnel That Is Filling From Both Ends was composed with the tape format in mind. It’s also mixed continuously, as a nod to ‘90s bootleg jungle mixtapes by the likes of LTJ Bukem.
The Australian duo – Sam Gill and Wes Holland – recorded Thrush’s improvised vocals in Melbourne, weaving her work into tracks later on in the process. Thrush’s contributions are so spontaneous that she’s even captured wondering aloud, “Are we already recording?”
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Opening hand No Deal lures us into a soft, cushiony, chillout space. Once drums enter song two, For My Sins 1 – metronomic and precise – the dancefloor beckons. The thick Scottish brogue of Disnaeland’s sing-songy narrator calls the incomparable Arab Strap to mind.
Lurching, hypnotic, sinewy lead single I Feed You leans into its twisted core: “Don’t be fucking cute with me!” If you dig Aphex Twin, this one’s for you.
FIFO experiments with chopped vocal sounds. Young Skins Pt I has a sinister feel, like an ooze threatening to swallow you whole, while Young Skins Pt II is a percussive dervish featuring choked bleeps.
Mechanical whirs and a static undercurrent – like ball bearings on a vibratory surface – burst to life within Soft Knock (Live At Pizzeria Venezia)’s pulsating beats. Remote Discipline (RF On The Tools Acid Mix) blooms into a dense, Underworld banger, offset by breathy accents and distant, keening wails.
These inventive, crunchy sounds get under the skin. “How did you like that?” Thrush inquires at one point. Our answer? Very much so.
LABEL: R.i.O.
RELEASE: 21 FEB OUT NOW
Find out more here.
