I’m so happy Mikael Stavöstrand has stuck at it. After contributing to one of the most lastingly appealing clicks/cuts releases with 2001’s “Reduce” (man, that was six years ago now), Stavöstrand has gone on to “enlarge”, albeit subtly and slowly into something of a techno producer, retaining the lust for the little sound that imbued his earlier work, but sending things kicking and clicking out into the big night with dry overtones and a bassdrum’s irrefutable need to dance all night.

Enter the Skull has all the hallmarks of Stavöstrand’s productions but is equally well-placed on Kindisch, with a fat, housed-up feel that’ll have the Jay Haze lovin’ booty heads juddering and bawling on the floor (in a nice way). “All you Booty Shakers” is the Fuckponiest of the cuts here, even featuring a gratuitous vocal urging you to, guess what, shake your body. “Keep it Moving” adds some disturbing/exciting garbles that sound like the demons in Quake did (a nerd confesses) as well as a massive, evil-sounding flange that attacks just as you start to get comfy with the hellbeast groans in the intro. Just as the undershot jaws and horns are getting too much, “Sensuella” continues the run of apt track titles by paring things back a few notches, with a lonely lady being serenading by sine tones who appear to be telling us that the undead are holding her captive. Or she wants to be held. Or something. “Soundclash” features yet another prisoner of Stavöstrand’s minion-conjuring plugins, and, like the A1, sounds a lot like a Fuckpony record. And that’s not a bad thing. There’s no big track here, but this is still a useful weapon for any micro/mnml leaning DJs who want to add lots of tooth, horn and (of course) skull to their boompty.

Kindisch / KINDISCH 006
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[Peter Chambers]