Kerrie expands the already sizable footprint of Cultivated Electronics (CE), when this summer she released practically a full length, split into two much-applauded EPs. With her tracks, the Irish-born Manchester resident adds harsher angle to the electro repertoire the label is renowned for.
In the first part, increasingly obligatory acid lines furnish the opener “Heptapod K”, followed by robotic mugging in “Droid Nation”. The untamed dash of “Swarm”, powered by malfunctioning hoovers and blurry vocal samples, is a worthy candidate for keeping the traditions of L.A.M. alive, while at B2 passionate beats are saying “They Can’t Stop Us”.
Though a decent four-tracker, for me the first part is a warm-up to the second one. The A-side is sensational: In “Respect To The Drex” chopped sturdy beats are clashing with bittersweet Goa arps, which can be explained with Kerrie’s trance period in her teens. In the same vein is “Return To Nazca – though by title points geographically to Peru, Oriental riffs appear in this superb tool for a flying carpet ride over vast dunes. “TT Drone” is a heavier kind broken beats study and the whirlwind theme song “We Continue” keeps the heat on, whereas Kerrie’s uptempo tracks remind both of casual jit of ghetto-conscious Detroit electro.
For those familiar with Kerrie’s own imprint Dark Machine Funk – so far I wasn’t – her approach is obviously not a surprise. Preceding Sync 24’s spectacular album on CE, Kerrie’s powerful double strike deserves spotlight not only a few months after the publication and has all necessary substance for being listed among the brightest electronic music moments of 2021.
Buy vinyl from Juno (UK)
Buy vinyl from Decks (DE)
Buy vinyl from Bent Crayon (US)