Means&3rd - Character Ethic EP

Record number 3 from Unveiled Nuance brings a new confidence in the further developed sound of owner Means&3rd. A continued eye for detail as well as a roughness that breathes dark soul into the production aesthetic that we have yet to hear from the artist.

“Hardship Repackaged As Growth” Opens the EP with boomy, rugged low end and grainy driven synth lines with sharp hits of wide sonic impact and a depth of layered atmosphere, placed on a bed of dense percussion until its break point exposes contorted, abrasive stabs just surviving the crunch of their processing, that then take the forefront. “Countenance” replies to the previous track with a more calculated, rounder and organic palette of audio that focuses on a cadenced synth line that breaths with the arrangement, fizzing to break point and engaging the deeper listen. Swung percussion keeps the groove providing a propulsive backing that sits on gnarled bass hits before the focus returns on the charged lead line.

“Character Ethic” carries deep suspense from the off, with filtered menace being teased below the surface, warping atmospheres are stacked and build the apprehension against a militant 16th shaker before an almost vocal like modulated synth reveals itself and is left to dance prominently across the stereo field. Layers of energy providing percussion complete the picture for a mesmerising trip. “Desperate And Relevant” the most driving of the 4 cuts takes an effectively reduced stand where square wave accents build new levels of intensity. Propulsive low-end and cohesive percussion writhe through the track’s arrangement closing out the EP with a powerful ending, a blistering siren sees the track’s breakpoint provide a release worthy of the pressure built.

Pressed on 140g black Vinyl, reverse board full-colour print sleeve with poly-lined inner sleeve. 

Produced, Programmed and Mixed by Means&3rd 
Mastered by Neel @ Enisslab, Rome
Cut by Marco Pellegrino
Design by Means&3rd 
Pressed By AFG, Rome, Italy
Distributed by Rubadub, Glasgow & Readymade, Berlin

Character Ethic EP

Preview - Means&3rd - Character Ethic EP - NUANCE003

For Bookings:
bookings.misterwillis@gmail.com

https://www.instagram.com/mister_willis_/

https://www.residentadvisor.net/dj/misterwillis

Background photo - 𝑰𝑯𝑬𝑩 𝑭𝑨𝑯𝑹𝑰  (Paris)
https://ihebfehri.com/
www.instagram.com/ihebfehri_/

Profile photo - 𝑺𝑻𝑬𝑷𝑯𝑨𝑵𝑰𝑬 𝑬𝑳𝑰𝒁𝑨𝑩𝑬𝑻𝑯 𝑻𝑯𝑰𝑹𝑫   (Berlin)
www.instagram.com/stephanieelizabeththird/

MCR. 100-140 BPM cruising speed - EBM, Acid, New Beat, Post Punk, Industrial, Italo, Proto Trance

Unveiled Nuance, On Board, Polish Technology

Means&3rd / Eastern Bloc Records /Manchester

Bookings : 
ben.unveilednuance@gmail.com
Will@fortsetzen.com

Producer - DJ - Live Act
Label Owner: @darkmachinefunk 

DJ/Live Bookings: mike@berytus.art

Irish-born, Manchester-based Kerrie is a multidisciplinary artist and resident DJ at Tresor Berlin. She performs live sets, produces music, DJs, and runs her own label, Dark Machine Funk. 

Having garnered a rich musical education through working at and holding a DJ residency for one of the UK's most respected record shops, Eastern Bloc, Kerrie's in-depth knowledge and unwavering dedication to music shines through her notable back catalogue and bolshy, unforgiving DJ and Live sets. Honing her craft for over a decade, Kerrie achieved a milestone at the start of 2024 when Tresor announced her as a resident DJ. Playing several shows (both live and DJ sets) at the Berlin-based space, Kerrie also represents the seminal club at showcases worldwide. Celebrated venues like Berghain, fabric, FOLD, Elsewhere NYC, and festival bookings at Freedom Medellin, Freerotation, Drift, Basilar and many more have shaped her schedule along the way. 

First learning to mix via her brother's turntables in the early 2000s, it wasn't until 2009 that Kerrie invested in her own set-up and built an extensive record collection, covering everything from ambient, electronic, house, EBM, acid, electro, and her go-to genre, techno. Kerrie delivers tough moods from the turntables, as conveyed in her mixes for Reclaim Your City, Bassiani, SLAM and Crack, where she carefully blended high-energy styles of UK, Detroit, and European techno, many of which stem from the 90s and the 00s. It's frequent to hear Kerrie weave broken elements into her mixes too, chopping up the 4/4 groove at just the right moment to keep things propulsive. Kerrie's Live sets are renowned for their trippy motifs and high impact on the dancefloor; her set from Freerotation in 2019 was one of the festival's most talked-about debuts. 

Following well-received releases on labels such as Don't Be Afraid, Cultivated Electronics, I Love Acid and Symbolism, Kerrie launched her imprint Dark Machine Funk [DMF] in 2020. The label homes her distinctly raw aesthetic and honours her love for dark, gritty, metallic and industrial sounds melded with elements of funk, heavily influenced by second-wave Detroit artists, UK techno and music by some of her favourite artists: James Ruskin, Blawan and Surgeon. Kerrie's first release on DMF, "Inner Space PT1", was praised by Resident Advisor, who credited her ability to make "lean, fierce techno that knows how to groove."

2022 was a watershed year for Kerrie's productions. She debuted on the monumental UK techno label Blueprint with her EP "Raw Regimen", which landed acclaimed reviews. Truly welcomed to the Blueprint family, Kerrie delivered her second EP in 2023 and joined the crew at label showcases around the globe. In the same year, she marked her tenth release on vinyl called "Transient Belief" which Blueprint added to their discography. In 2024, Kerrie's output continues to captivate, with Tresor releasing her EP "Machine Alliance", further solidifying her connection with the club and label and fulfilling one of her many goals (and dreams) as an artist.

Coming to international prominence in more recent years, regardless of her decade-long tenure in Manchester's vibrant scene, Kerrie is deeply invested in the culture of electronic music, starting from her teenage era as a raver in Ireland up to her innovative projects today. In 2017, she founded Eastern Bloc's in-house event space to nurture local talent, which remains at the heart of Manchester's music community. Having ended her 11-year stint at the shop in 2023 to fully commit to the studio and accommodate her increasingly busy tour schedule, Kerrie is forging a long-lasting path fuelled by drive, passion, authenticity and a community-first way of thinking.

Check out our upcoming events here.
https://easternblocrecords.com/pages/eastern-bloc-events
 
We are Eastern Bloc Records from Manchester, UK. We are specialists in electronic music, established since 1985. We are a record store and of recent time an events space and bar where we host Instores weekly with local record labels, club nights, guest & resident DJs. This is our podcast series which will bring you some of our favourite DJs & producers from within the music industry and live recordings from our Instores.

Preview - Means&3rd - Character Ethic EP - NUANCE003

Means&3rd/Unveiled Nuance