Following his successful DJ mix _ground on digital-only label MINUS12, Ambivalent returns with more studio material on Minus. His Snowblind EP is a 2-track assertion of Minus’ strippeddown techno bona-fides.
The release follows last year’s similarly driving, dancefloor-focused Plus 8 release Jackson, with a decidedly more dark tonality.
A-side Snowblind lives up to its name in coldness and disorientation. With an insistent, simple hook, swirling delays and pounding drum hits, the track reaches an apex of energy, only to return to its plaintive hook and stripped, driving bass. The track has become an unmissable staple of Richie Hawtin’s DJ sets, regularly played twice in a row, spiking the crowds’ energy in his ENTER nights as well as massive international festival stages.
B-side Witchfinder is loopier, but extends Snowblind’s cold, driving analog power. With its heady melody, the track slips in and out of hypnotic repetition, varied by delays and short changes.
Emulating some of Ambivalent’s minimal heros like Hood and Mills, the track keeps its focus simple, but finds ample room to create drama with its bare essential parts.
Aimed at the darker, energetic moments of techno sets, this EP anchors Ambivalent’s focus on eerie melodies with his more recent higher-octane material.
RELEASE INFORMATION:
Artist/Title: Ambivalent | Snowblind
Catalogue No.: MINUS120
Label: MINUS
Format: 12″, MP3, WAV
Distribution: Beatport / M-nus.com / WordAndSound
Barcode: 815349011811
Release Date Physical: September 24th, 2012
Release Date Digital: September 26th, 2012
TRACK LISTING:
A. Snowblind
B. Witchfinder
