Snuff Crew - Energy/Psycho

Single

9 Aug

After a two-year hiatus, the Snuff Crew is back, aiming to reinvent themselves. This time, the duo seeks to use live performance as a basis for their productions, citing the creativity within the machines as the inspiration for the newest release. This new direction holds promise and potential for the future.

One thing is undeniable: this release exudes a palpable, vibrant mix of phonetic percussion reminiscent of the Chicago and acid sounds that initially united the artist. But the duo's ambition doesn't stop at house music. They've injected a techno twist combined with the live performance elements, and the percussion echoes the legendary Jeff Mills drum workout on the 909. It's raw and spontaneous, and the shifting rhythms keep you on your toes. It's rugged and instinctive as the different rhythms are built and reset during breakdowns.

Snuff Crew skirts a fine line between genres, which can sometimes struggle to be boxed into either house or techno, respectively. Their rhythmic variety is solid. They lean more towards the Chicago production style the duo has become known for. The percussion is phonetic but lacks that aggressive edge you would see in most acid techno forms. Saturating their sound with crunchy distortions would prevent the production from sounding as flat. With this style of music, there needs to be an ingrained level of antagonism that the Snuff Crew don't quite achieve. Don't get me wrong, the heavy use of rhythm helps, but without that brutal distortion, it comes across like percussive workouts rather than pulse-pounding dance floor killers.

Having excellent percussion only gets you so far, though. Thankfully, each track builds energy with acidic synthesised psychedelia that fills out the body of the track. The Snuff Crew's retro-futuristic aesthetic is on full display with the track 'Energy', borrowing elements from the excellent accident techno legends of the past, adding a new 303 edge. The ripping, off-beat acid drone that runs through energy is like an old motor plodding along the highway, refusing to give out. As for 'Psycho', new rhythms and instrument combinations emerge with each section. The low end is much richer and has more impressive rhythms, partly due to this space created by not having a continuous drone sitting on top of the track. They can use more percussive flair and more staggered, emotive breakdowns to keep the track engaging. This Snuff Crew has an excellent partnership and a solid musical vision. Reinventing is always the hardest thing to do within art, but these two can see the light at the end of the tunnel. More music will come from the duo, and with an ear for acid and rhythm, the machine funk coming out on the Snuff Cuts label will be great.

Energy/Psycho is available on Bandcamp now and all other platforms on August 23rd.

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