Vinyl Releases
following a live debut at berghain and standout shows at de school and institut fuer zukunft, daniel martin-mccormick returns as relaxer with the fourth installment in the projects eponymous ep series. jamie lee takes over the a-side harrowing screams are framed by strobing chords and a deadly groove. simultaneously euphoric, agonizing and cathartic, jamie lee was written as the climax of relaxers live set and is a prime example of the artists uniquely feral techno. drawing equally on punk confrontations and more haunting emotional explorations, jamie lee is a lacerating and visceral descent. on the b-side, unwind oozes from the speakers, a miasmic cut that builds on the white knuckle tension of jamie lee. a lone synth figure worms its way through pulsating 3d drones, shimmering dissonances and hiccuping drums, rocking out into a quasi catatonic infinity. finally regime change gently floats on the surface of a trash-filled sea, a fading, smog choked reverie.
RELAXER - TRANQUILITY 3
12 Inch
07.11.16
over the last year, daniel martin-mccormick has been exploring new terrain as relaxer, releasing a series of eps on the project s eponymous label. the third installment follows the paranoid whispers and mossy drip of the first two, yet is the most direct so far. “forming” and “forming (version)” offer distinct takes on a simple rhythmic motif, the first reaching for the heavens, and the b2 “version” sinking into hell. both develop gradually, drawing in the dance floor before unleashing, the a-side’s yearning strings and thunderclaps overflow with emotion, while “version” is a vortex of ever-escalating, dark intensity. in between is “monday,” a teeming environment with a deep bass throb, pounding drums, and shimmering percolating melodies.
relaxers fifth ep is the final edition in the self titled series that began in early 2016. th six tracks are split between viscous, serpentine techno and liminal, dubbed out beatless passages. my reminiscence opens with a shivering groove and a terror-soaked atmosphere before giving way to the more monolithic wormholing of headache. stevie and blister pack drift further afield from the dancefloor, rippling and reforming. each side is closed out with a brief passage: empty promises and health is wealth are evocative and fleeting snapshots.
four tracks of hissing, hypnotic paranoia emerge on the debut from relaxer. on the a side, smeared whispers seethe across viscous grooves that pulse with strange, bittersweet strings. side b’s recoil delivers a stomping 137-bpm techno bomb with an elevator-shaft-freefall. the ep dissolves into glowing pathos on the closing track.