Split EP

A split EP featuring two distinct talents presenting their own strains of shadowy, atmospheric techno.
Lithuanian producer Under Black Helmet has been producing abrasive, industrial cuts since the mid-2010s, channelling the darker spheres of electronic music into highly rhythmic percussive workouts. He appeared earlier this year on the WE ARE NOT ALONE PT.7 compilation, and regularly performs in some of the world’s most respected clubs. Rommek is an alias of Romek Boyer, a producer and DJ with an extensive background in sound design, and an impressive catalogue of releases that explore intricate sonic arrangements with a highly textural approach.
Opening up the proceedings are two cuts from Under Black Helmet. ‘Slicer’ is a glistening but melancholic journey into intense electronics, with a minimal framework driven forward by subtle semitone shifts in the bassline. ‘The Games You Play’ leans into sparser surrounds with paired back glitching pitches and a complex web of cross rhythmic drums.
On the flip side, Rommek’s ‘Kiss of Life’ is a densely layered orchestration of pitch bends and stuttering percussion that morphs gradually from swaying synths to operatic wails, toying with the contours of reality. Closing things off, the eerily titled ‘The Owls Are Not What They Seem’ builds to a storm of detuned bells and hammerdrill leads, marching further into the woods than might be advised.
As two producers with equally immersive sonic worlds and distinct approaches, this meeting of minds traverses raw to refined productions, offering a contrasting package where atmospheric tensions collide.