Smash TV // Matthew Pervert (Remixes) [Get Physical]
Smash TV are a particular favourite of SHA’s lord and master visionary Slim. Once again, in my unique little musical bubble of obliviousness, find myself relatively unschooled in their works to date. Let us consider this an education of sorts, as I settle down to the Matthew Pervert remixes with a mind free of expectations.
Up first are the masterful Tiefschwarz with a remix of technoid hypnotism. If I had any expectations then I would be happily passing them through a paper shredder, setting fire to them to create a foggy haze and flicking my little office room light on and off in the hope of creating an impromptu club scene. A very small club. With just me inside it and a significantly higher level of sobriety than your usual club. Simplicity is key with squelchy percussive burbles, dancehall snares, Shamisen twangs that randomly flit between shifting pitches and sustaining reverb at will, vocal DOOO!-ing and ohmygod I’m just going to press rewind again and replace all the fuses in my house. If you think of a more direct Villalobos track with 10 minutes lopped off the running time, then you are halfway there.
With an incredibly high bar set, it feels like Coyu has just leapt up for his third and final high jump attempt and has just clipped the bar off with his calves. The launch is solid – a constant drone builds anticipation and dropping in the little human hihat early on brings a little sway to the landscape. However, the latter part of the remix then layers up multiple textures of horror strings, creating a paranoid and spiky atmosphere that causes you to hunch rather than sway. It almost, almost hits the spot, but just feels a touch too alienating in the face of the playful Tiefschwarz mix. And then finally, Smash TV jump in with a pure tool full of sci-fi blips and radio tuning whine for those who want to get creative, although not one to stick on the player while having a causal saunter around town.
So how did my Smash TV baptism go? Well while this collection hits and misses for me in places, undoubtedly the Tiefschwarz jaunt is certainly a smash in my eyes. Essentially, when sifting through for battle weapons, it is always the one shining beacon you head for through instinct anyway, so that is all you need.
Release Date: Out Now
Words: fourfourfun
