A Made Up Sound – Demons review

An exciting EP here from Dutchman Dave Huisman – most widely known for his work as 2562 on Pinch’s Tectonic label – under his A Made Up Sound moniker. Since his first 12” on Philpot back in 2006, he has gone on to establish his own self-titled label, releasing the Shortcuts album in 2008 – a collection of dubstep, techno, broken beat and house cuts – and now in 2010 returns with his third release of the year on his own imprint.

Track one, “Demons” gets the ball rolling with dribbling squeaks, hollow knocks, quirky bleeps and hints of foreboding in the atmospherics before a firm drum beat kicks in, disturbs the peace and sets things on the straight and narrow. Setting a steady pace for the five-minute duration, the soundscape is one of slow and gradual metamorphosis; deeply intriguing to its core. It’s a track that definitely bears for revisiting and re-listening. Moving on through “Extra Time” with its tense, shimmering poise and reverberating funked up beats, we are struck by the sheer artistry A Made Up Sound displays. “Demons (reprise)”, the final track from the bunch, rounds off the release, with a stripped back judder of machine gun-like drum kicks in the intro and textures building up gradually in layers as the tune progresses – blissful instrumentation, echoing beats and tense atmospherics all come into play before a glossy, glimmering, chiming final passage eases us towards the end. Incredible.

Belinda Rowse