Emerging through a haze of smoke, Pushloop and Contra’s Distant Visions EP tells the listener a story of heroes, djinn and mystics. Each track drips heavily of eastern/”world” influence, expertly utilizing sounds from the region to impart (distant) visions of woven tapestries, unrelenting sun, and blowing sand.
Nishanka (which roughly means “without doubt” or “unquestioning”) lives up to its namesake, lulling the audience in with a slow swell of pads, the occasional reverb bathed-pluck, and low vocals — before firmly taking the listener’s hand with driving drums and an 808-heavy bassline, guiding them deeper into the EP.
Lost in the Labyrinth‘s intro marches headstrong into deep plucks paired with drawn strings. Delay tails give the feeling of turning corners, and the guiding sitar imparts a feeling of temporal disorientation. The piece has us chasing a ringing sagat for clarity throughout it’s 4 minute runtime, and a brief bridge gives us respite to catch our breath before we’re back to chasing bells and voices in the dark.
Confidence returns to the listener in Black Dragon: lush strings open into a vocal lead supported by driving kicks and lightly distorted 808s. Thick, layered claps provide contrast and lead the listener to a progression that reintroduces the strings from the intro, along with a one-shot of the sagat from Lost in the Labyrinth. Black Dragon’s second half keeps the focus on the drums and sub layer, now allowing the rhythm to take the lead and using the vocals to accent.
Distant Visions, the EPs titular track, concludes our journey into Pushloop and Contra’s world by losing all pretense of politeness. AKASHAH’s vocals prepare the listener and set the stage, accompanied by rattlesnake foley, before punching the audience with a heavily distorted wobble and drum-heavy call and response to remind them that they’re still on the dancefloor and should be making a screwface. Progression reintroduces world elements back into the mix while AKASHAH’s otherworldly vocals guide us through the rest of the track, eventually closing the metaphorical back cover of our story.
Join us next Friday July 31st as we welcome dubstep pillars Pushloop and Contra to Red Tree Tattoo Gallery for their debut Murkwood!
Support from collective leader squid, Cleveland’s Thunder St. Clair, and Null’s newest resident producer monsoons.
- guest feature by David of Null Entertainment
