Rivet – Bear Bile EP
The Swedish techno onslaught continues unabated as Kontra Musik dig up another slab of essential peak-time fodder from Rivet to blow away the fogginess of a new year. The emergence of Mika Hallbäck has been a measured one, with just a handful of appearances on Skudge, Kontra and Naked Index since 2011 suggesting an artist taking time to issue out just the right material, rather than the tidal onslaught that can befall some emergent musicians in these times. There is a sense listening to Hallbäck’s music that care has been taken to pick the most distinctive tracks, to work as much character into each element, to mould a sound that pricks the ears and delights the mind.
One of the instant appeals of Rivet is the lack of pretention. This is gutsy, muscular techno that ripples with playful energy just as it delivers a sucker punch of danceability. Even in the more esoteric corner of the EP, “Bear Bile Pt. 3”, there is an immediate rush from the dazzling chords and fluid acid lines that doesn’t require any kind of mind state, musing or de-constructing. It’s a beautifully melodic cut that carries the torch for yearning techno wistfulness, not least in the cathedral-sized key chimes, and its emotive qualities hit right between the eyes while simultaneously displaying a staggering flamboyance.
However “Bear Bile Pt. 1” speaks more directly to this duplicitous no-nonsense-wild-imagination attribute of Rivet’s, kicking off with a mean tussle of drums that will get blood pumping in the midst of any set. While the beat alone sports a sharp groove and a neat stop-start kink at the end of the bar, the track fully blooms with the hooky rising bassline and feverish vocal slice that provides the central theme of the tune. It’s a source you would more likely expect to find in a smoother house cut, but in this context it takes on a delirious quality that induces an endorphin rush on top of the kinetic drums tumbling underneath. There’s also space in the final stages of the track for a switch to a different key as a sampled and processed trumpet comes drifting in. It’s an oddball move that, while clearly tacked on to the end, reveals the irreverent attitude behind Hallbäck’s productions.
“Bear Bile Pt. 2” has it’s own kinks, although it comes on a little less grounded than its neighbours due to a curious lack of bottom-end weight. While the beat snaps viciously it’s really about the rambunctious synth line that bounces all over the innards of the track, whipping up an infectious side line in acid and samples that join in the fray before getting bumped out by further diversions and distractions. That Hallbäck manages to keep the overall concept intact while juggling these cheeky elements is testament to his focused creative vision.
So it is that Rivet reveals himself to be a producer with a split personality, on one hand totally honed and precise in his quest for the ultimate body music, while recognising that colour and creativity go a long way in engendering both physical and mental responses in music; after all the two are inextricably linked, even if they’re not always the easiest gaps to bridge. It’s clearly something Rivet has no problem with at all.
Oli Warwick
Tracklisting:
A1. Bear Bile Part 1
B1. Bear Bile Part 2
B2. Bear Bile Part 3