Eric Copeland - Trogg Modal, Vol. 2 (2019) [Hi-res]

On March 29, Eric Copeland delivers Trogg Modal Vol. 2, the counterpart to last October’s Vol. 1. The former Black Dice member’s 'Freakbeat 4/4' agenda gets further refined here – Vol. 2 is more laid-back than the first, but still highly danceable. Self-described as “late Night Flight proto tekno,” the tracks pulse with thick layers of percussion, melodic fever dreams, and riffs wrung through a taffy puller. Eric’s textured, off-the-cuff approach to dance music adds a refreshing element of spontaneity and ‘jamming’ to a climate of uncanny smoothness and polish.

Where Vol. 1 was composed of “rippers,” Vol. 2 travels at its own pace, continuing to showcase Eric’s ability to recontextualize 4/4 tracks as psychedelic contortions, from the squelchy vibrations of “BS Dropout” to the blithe, video arcade soundtrack “High Score Zed.” Taken together, the two volumes of Trogg Modal showcase the versatility of one of the most continuously exciting experimental artists of the past twenty years – arriving in 2019 with his mischievous sense of adventure firmly intact.