Skudge tips the Balancing Point

The newly solo pillar of Swedish techno returns with a second LP.

Despite their somewhat mysterious demeanour, Elias Landberg and Gustaf Wallnerstrom managed to carve out a noticeable identity amongst the techno boom of the past five odd years. Seismic club tracks such as “Convolution” came at just the right time, when audiences were craving a fresh approach as dubstep splintered and minimal stagnated, and with their commitment to live performance Skudge maintained a basic level of visibility as they built up a formidable empire made up of scores of releases and a three-pronged record label. Of course any artistic partnership will be subject to change over time, and so it goes that Wallnerstrom felt it was time to fly the nest and seek new ventures. Landberg, also found recording as KEL amongst other projects, has been committed to continuing the Skudge name, even roping in fellow Swede Samo DJ to help with the live duties.

Already this year the Waveless / Motion 12” has appeared under the Skudge banner, but now a second long player is ready for the world, following on from the 2011 debut album Phantom. Crafted by Landberg on his own (bar “Polar” which features new recruit Samo DJ), Balancing Point finds the murkier depths of much Skudge material offset by melodic variation, but this is still very much a techno affair. As the press release points out, there is a distinct influence from ‘90s UK techno, as spelt out in swooning pads that sit comfortably on top of the rigid rhythmical focus we’ve come to expect from one of the prime exponents of contemporary Swedish techno.

Skudge will release Balancing Point by Skudge on October 10.

Tracklisting:

A1. Immersion
A2. Polar (with Samo DJ)
A3. Drifting
B1. Air Walk
B2. Aloft
B3. Elapse
C1. Vertigo
C2. Tides
C3. Falling
D1. Thesis
D2. Anode
D3. Balancing Point

Skudge on Juno