The genesis of this release was formed in dark warehouses and dirt dance floors in the late 1990’s in Dallas, TX. A truly special time and locations in electronic music history budding numerous notable headlining artists. However, it wouldn’t be until tens of years later, multiple individual albums, back and forth remixes and EP’s that they would embark on writing music together using the power of the internet. KiloWatts is best known for his immersive albums that fuse organic instrumentation and synthetic manipulation. PointBender has released a litany of remixes, albums, and singles across many of the industries silent giants. Both being no strangers on the HD imprint, it felt prudent to release the second EP and first collaborative vinyl release to celebrate the years 20th anniversary.

Western Wolf is a collection of songs marrying electronic synthesis, found sound recording, live instrumentation, and written melodies. The EP starts us off with “Circling the Crown”; a slow building tease that navigates through all points deep. Fluid rattles and dulcet tones define the pace as layers drift in and out ultimately rising to the introduction of perfectly tempered dub bass. Western Wolf turns up the tempo and energy with sharp percussive accents and subdued pads. The introduction of distorted bass slaps and arpeggiated synths start to steer the piece into stronger dancefloor territory when a breakout of melodic chords shifts the mood to lighter ground showcasing a selection that sails through multiple moods. The Dub version of Western Wolf strips out the more overt melodic elements in favor of a slowly building track perfect for threading through abstract house and techno sets. The project ends with Swangert, the not so typical B-side. In this selection the duo explores parts unknown outside the confines of traditional dance music with a highly swung and constructively complex slow burn. Phased leads and short percussive bass accents flower this song keeping the momentum solid until the end. Look for more from the dynamic dup in months and years to come, including a follow-up remix EP featuring some very exciting artists.

Western Wolf

Swangert