German dance music maven Michael Mayer has called Fango “the most insane Italian since Berlusconi.” Considering the litany of controversies that surround Italy’s former prime minister, we can only hope that Mayer was referring to Fango’s austere, free associative—yet meticulously arranged—techno and not his political ambitions. We’ll assume that’s the case.
The Italian producer—known to be a fastidious drum programmer—does indeed have a flair for the deranged; his percussive electronica has the dark, mercurial nature of a psychotic episode. On Viscera, the first in a series of three upcoming 2016 EPs and his latest exercise in raving, rave-ready electronica, Fango inside for inspiration. "With this EP series I wanted to embark on a long insular trip,” he told us, “reflecting down till the depths of the soul and exploring parts of the body through the medium of sound.”
Today EARMILK is premiering Viscera’s middle track, “Valvae.” True to its name, “Valvae” is exploratory and fluid, filled with subaqueous sounds that transport us into the body itself. Muffled thumps open the piece, and it is as though we, the travelers in these ventricles, can still feel the faraway beat of our heart. The rhythm is perfect and relentless, and, imperceptibly at first, textures grow around it. Deep gurgles and distorted strings build in maddening repetition. Shimmering synthesizers emerge from deep, visceral chasms. “Valvae” is that moment of imminence in a nightmare, the one where you know something bad is going to happen but hasn’t yet. There's still time to wake up, but instead you press on, curious to see what dark thoughts your mind has in store. Rarely do nightmares feel so good.
Viscera arrives this Friday via Degustibus. It’s already been getting some love from the likes of Laurent Garnier and Gilles Peterson—check it out above and you'll hear why.
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