Back with vengeance and a haunting aesthetic, Benjamin Damage and Doc Daneeka released their newest EP, They! Live, via the 50 Weapons label, on January 27th. Right out the gate one's struck by the melancholic vocals of Abigail Wyles on both No One and Battleships. They draw you in with gentle and sensual builds, and deliver an exploration in subtle basslines and jazzy kicks. The rest of the release has some great up tempo berlin-inspired techno jams. In particular Juggernaut hits a strong chord with the perfect blend of stripped down and layered beats, getting you with that snap of ear trickery, played by the low laying tribal beat.
The album, born out of a great appreciation from label heads Modeselektor for their single Creeper, was produced over the past year in Berlin. A dynamic blend of house and techno, They! Live is a great first release from these two, spurring the question, will there be more? If this album is any indication of the talent of these two as a duo, one can only hope so. Though the EP is a stretch from both Doc Daneeka and Benjamin Damage’s well-known sounds, it is a step in an intriguing direction. One in which a blurred line between genres and emotions reigns supreme and an evocative and signature sound is created. The tightly wound execution of each of the songs has some skeptical, but I for one believe it is a great showcase of their musical prowess and believe there are more like me out there.
