Karenn - Everything Is Curly
Karenn rose to prominence in the live techno scene, beginning in 2011 with a string of releases on Work The Long Night Records that garnered interest due to their raw and exciting industrial sound. Since then, the duo consisting of Blawan and Pariah have been consistently shaking up the techno landscape with their brand of forward-thinking electronic music. Cut to 2023, and the pair are back with the 11th release on their label Voam, titled Everything Is Curly (2023). After taking a three-year hiatus from releasing under the project, the duo is back, seemingly revitalised from the break. Everything Is Curly ventures down a new path for the duo as they push their sound forward, focusing on mixing rhythm with melodic ideas. Influences drive past industrial techno and incorporate new inspirations from breakbeat and garage.
The four-track EP begins with 'Feeling Horizontal', a grainy rhythm workout that explodes with fiendish cybernetic Eurodance flavourings. It's a wash of chaotic percussive fills and mini breakdowns. 'Feeling Horizontal' adds vocals to the mix, something only seen in the Karenn's live performances. The experimentation into new sounds continues with 'Happy Birthday'. It's speed-garage but with the Karenn twist. Whip-like snares and punchy kick drums dominate most of the track. A grimy pan flute sample pied pipes this incredibly catchy motif that is chopped and changed progressively throughout the track's runtime.
'From Hunk To Husk' keeps the energy high as we dive headfirst into a more traditionally Karenn number. With motorised beats and a mechanised intensity, Karenn injected some interesting vocal samples this time, which shows an intention to keep things fresh going forward. Lastly, 'When Lutes Were A Thing' is the most rhythmically interesting of the bunch. Several distinct layers, one over the other, create a cacophony of mutating percussion that interplays continuously. Again, Karen uses melody to make a lasting impression. A sped-up R&B-esque line further divides this from their previous works while keeping that same Karenn sound.
We find ourselves at the precipice of a new phase of Karenn with the release of Everything Is Curly. The combination of classic Karenn brain-bending sound design and these much catchier licks will capture the attention of a new audience busting true to the sound that's helped push themselves and the genre forward. Breaking their mould and incorporating more singable melodies into their work will put them further into the Zeitgeist. You should expect to hear them a lot more in peak-time electronic sets with this new brand of techno.
Tracklist:
Feeling Horizontal
Happy Birthday
From Hunk To Husk
When Lutes Were A Thing
Label: Voam (2023)
Karenn - Everything Is Curly
