Dual Shaman - Expiati (2018)

It’s almost a daunting task to keep track of the entirety of brothers Dual Shaman’s output. They’ve released with Wide Angle Recordings, Manual Music, Wolfskull Ltd., Cinematique and many more, amassing an impressive back-catalogue of sophisticated, high-end melodic techno. As ShamanStems, they’ve crafted countless commercial sample packs and sound libraries, of countless sorts, winning awards, topping charts and insuring that even the most casual of listeners have heard their work, whether knowingly or less so. And, with their “Khorostasia” single, they provided the swansong to now-suspended cyberpunk imprint Tessier-Ashpool Recordings – progenitor to, and now subsidiary of Drastic Arts. It was very fitting that Dual Shaman would score the “opening ceremony” to our newly minted multimedia collective… so they did, writing their first full-length material as well, in the process. As such, Drastic Arts is proud to present DADA001: “Expiati”, an uncompromising and many-pronged account of atonement – theirs, ours, yours.

Many languages are at play here. Ecclesiastic Latin accounts for most of the track titles. Devotional live outboard improvisation accounts for most of the songwriting process. Schizoid acid riffs account for most of the bite. A sylvan, deeply nocturnal strain of New Beat accounts for most of the emotional context. Clipped, industrial dialects of techno and electro account for most of the rhythmic underpinnings of this 9-track communiqué. And, for a single standout track, their native Romanian accounts for most touching invocation of rain.

Frequency-modulated hats ricochet about as gabberized depth-charge kicks interrupt lung-imploding reeses. Midrange percussion so crisp it’s edible splays itself around vocal centrepieces warped beyond recognition. Tasteful bouts of braindance edit mania set the stage for tour de force solos. Equally suitable for switched-on club settings and as BGM for retro Twitch streaming.

We swear this is not some ‘98 release we dug up and are re-releasing. It was first thought up in 2016. Finished in 2017. In 2018, finally released. A love letter to 20 years ago, a love letter to 20 years from now. And in spite of the title… atonement for neither.