Following his ‘Sila EP’ (MNTY005) featuring the track ‘Hunza’ which is included in Mixmag’s Top 100 Tracks of 2019, as well as his October released ‘Danu EP’ for EPMmusic, Bryan Chapman returns once again to his own Monotony label for this atmospheric techno and IDM four-tracker.

Delivering consistently high quality and thoughtfulness on his releases, Chapman’s ‘Rituals EP’ is no exception.  The EP is bookended by two tracks which Bryan has called “about as personal as I’ve ever got”, the earthly – both in name and feel – ‘Gaia’ which builds and turns like the planet spinning on its axis and ‘Lexa (Touch That Leather)’ with its breakbeat ambiance and sweeping approach.  In-between are the pulsating ‘Yūgen’, a term taken from Japanese aesthetics to express a variety of concepts including profound and mysterious, alongside the striking ‘Banuk’ which is both insistent and tranquil in equal measure.

Released at the beginning of February, ‘Rituals EP’ opens Bryan’s 2020 schedule with a poeticism that commands your attention from start to finish, feeling more like a mini-album than an EP.

2. Bryan Chapman - Yūgen [Monotony]

Psychedelic Monotonous Techno - Record label created and curated by Bryan Chapman