Triads – Samurai 58

Pugilist returns to Samurai with four tracks that demonstrate exactly why restraint is such a key part of making great techno, and is a powerful tool in a producer’s arsenal when done right. ‘Rune’ opens on technoid propulsion and brooding bass snarls, then ‘Pyre’ turns up the percussive intensity with bludgeoning kicks and whipcrack snares that nod to classic electronica as much as d&b. ‘Woven’ lets snaking synth lines and glacial cinematic pads breathe against the twitchy pace before ‘Machiavellian’ closes with drums that build toward a drop but then sidestep it, and instead, skittering percussion becomes mesmerising. Fierce meditations from the Melbourne man.