Review Summary: Forward-thinking homage
An everything-but-the-sink approach is common with lesser-known dub techno artists, but rarely is it pulled off convincingly. This can especially be the case with German producers determined to one-up the likes of Chain Reaction Records alumni (Porter Ricks et. al), trading minimalism for maximalism. Frank Meyer (aka Darage Bang) creates such music, and draws from a hefty arsenal, just
almost to the point of over-saturation. Tracks like “Motion Blur” feature echoing static, multilevel pulses, four-on-the-floor beats, hi-hats, you name it. Despite the crowdedness of it all, there is always a memorable component to each song (in the case of “Motion Blur”, it’s the watery guitar, and the way the glitchy textures navigate the headspace). Trying to describe the highlights on
EXXO is a matter of picking your poison; no two songs sound quite the same.
Whenever variety is your M.O., you risk a jack-of-all-trades label, with a tiresome sound that's too cluttered to display any strengths. But, as
EXXO presses onward, Darage Bang’s level of endurance is impressive. There are no thinly-spread ideas, and each track sounds creatively arranged. The mid-album “Long Distance Run” is expectedly slowly paced, but pounds with the adrenaline of a sniper lining up a career-defining shot, shifting his focus between the target and the beautiful landscape. Everything is so tasteful: the slow climax, faux-violins near the final third, the beat textures. The final moments are perfect, mimicking the beginning of the track, but with heightened concentration - as though the minutes between were actually just seconds of mind-wandering. “Wail” is a bit more immediate, featuring beats with an addictive hum, catchy guitar manipulation, and a nice balance between thick dub and overcasting synths. Follow-up “Routine Job” is placed perfectly in the tracklist, picking up steam with a tech-house sprinter equipped with throwback synths and head-bobbing bass lines.
While there is a sort of ebb and flow throughout
EXXO, it isn’t bound by conceptual stacking - meaning, you don’t need to hear tracks in a particular sequence to “get” anything (as is sometimes the deal with similar-sounding releases). There really aren’t any lulls, though “Percolator” and “Odd Memories” are maybe the least impressive, yet would be glaring standouts on a weaker producer’s output. Each song averages at about six minutes, and takes enough time to become a self-sufficient marvel. Darage Bang arrives a bit late to the party with a late-December highlight, but
EXXO demonstrates the virtue of patience.
