- A razor-sharp blend of techno, electro and minimal.
- Cabaret Recordings' approach is so low-key that if you don't seek out their records in shops or follow their minimal social media presence, you might not realise they have a new one out. Ekbox's Mitsuboshi also arrived in a low-key manner. The collaboration between Evan Baggs and Katsuya Sano blends panoramic electro with their hypnotic take on minimal techno. Baggs has a knack for addictive basslines with a strong groove, and Mitsuboshi has another great one. The warm, elastic bassline on "Shoganai" soars above laser zaps that sound like birds chirping.
Ekbox's previous record, Tidelly Locked, was full of noisy, tripped-out grooves. Mitsuboshi is even more captivating, each tune taking you into a different musical world. The squeaky melody on the title track draws you in with rubbery charm and light touches of 808 cowbell. There's a pad beneath the main melody that treads the line between unsettling and beautiful. This feeling runs through all of Cabaret's records, making listeners feel that something eerie is lurking beneath the surface of beautiful sounds.
"Takikomi" swerves to UK techno rhythms with short, stunted breaks and chords that take the track into a deeper and more emotional realm. "Mukacho" opts for bouncing acid that feels like a natural continuation from Cabaret's last release, Binh's Eastern Bloc. Again, this EP shows Baggs and Sano bringing out the best in each other with four distinct, instantly memorable tracks.
TracklistA1 Mitsuboshi
A2 Mukacho
B1 Takikomi
B2 Shoganai