The devil is in the details. Three years after their successful Minus "Vs" release, "Square One" marks
a return to a long standing collaboration between Troy Pierce and label mate Jesse Siminski aka
"Heartthrob". The release is inspired by the duo's new performance moniker of the same name, which
combines DJ-ing along with live performance elements. The three detail oriented tracks wind their way
through tense, angular synths, solid drum programing, dusty droning sound spheres and swinging
dissonant cords. Humorous, upfront, and chaotic at times, these productions are not afraid to stand
apart and cause a full on freak out.
The title track "Square One" (A1) is a beast that utilizes stomping rock inspired drums that are
tweaked and played off of a boiling hot synthesizer line to the tracks apex. Throughout, the focus is on
dance floor pressure, as sharp high hats and sleazy drum rolls dodge analog noise bursts. Driven by
tight sub bass, it is a unique take on Troy's intricate grooves, fused with Jesse's penchant for over the
top melody and composition. This track is not for the timid dance floor.
While B1 "Puka Haole" (which means white devil's hole in Hawaiian) is another sinister builder. A
funky growling Moog bass melody who's filters open and close suggestively around broken beats
carries the loose arrangement. Heavy snare rolls cut through and give order to polyphonic synth
blasts. The atmosphere is electric and tense with delay lines and a soaring banshee choir. Ultimately a
swinging melody brings even more energy to the anxious air of the track until it disintegrates.
Building from the first two cuts is "Island Rumors" (B2), another stormer that shares the same cutting
percussion and tough sub bass foundation as the other tracks but has a lighter disposition. "Island
Rumors" dives headlong into tight jacking house beats, but pairs them with alternating ominous and
uplifting synth chords. It pushes forward steadily as murmuring voices pass eerily, whispering rumors.
It's a welcome foil to the mayhem of it's sister tracks, but nonetheless a relentless funk jam.
While touring last winter in the United States the four tracks were written in Hawaii on the island of
Maui. "Square One" functions as a step forward for the duo, their new performance project and ideally
will satisfy the appetites of forward thinking Techno fans the world over. Troy and Jesse wish to thank
Tobias Freund, for lending his "Golden Ears" to the final mix of these tracks.