Lucy & Ercolino - Gmork/So The Nothing Grows Stronger

Artist: Lucy & Ercolino

Title: Gmork/So the Nothing Grows Stronger

Label: Stroboscopic Artefacts

Catalog #: SA003

Release Date: January 22, 2010

Rating: 8

Five and a half minutes. It’s good ambient that turns into good dub techno. Every sound has its place, and the theme is memorable even if it’s barely melodic. These two are pros.

It’s getting more intense. I could dance to this, if they’d give me a beat. And then it drops. It’s some of the meanest, most metal techno I’ve heard in years. It’s like art gabber. After 30 seconds, it fades out, and the song concludes without bringing it back.

Quit thinking about it. The next track is on. The highs are constantly shifting, the bass seems to go out of 4/4, and the recurring snare roll (A printer? A pricing gun?) keeps the beat limping like a zombie. It’s a shame that this would never sound right on anything but the nicest PA. But it alone might be worth that headphone upgrade you’ve been considering.  

The bonus retools show a side of the duo that’s less danceable, but the remixer, Dadub, is great with song structure, overtones and (especially) static, and he takes the songs from the gas chamber and into the sewer. I hope we hear more from all three artists on this release soon, because even if hostile, ambient-influenced dub techno doesn’t sound like it would fit in at most clubs, Lucy & Ercolino argue their case very convincingly.

-Travis Korte

Tracks:

A1) Gmork

B1) So The Nothing Grows Stronger

1) Gmork (Dadub Tool)

2) So The Nothing Grows Stronger (Dadub Tool)