Various Artists - Dark Acid

Label: Clan Destine Records

For the first in a new series, Clan Destine pays homage to the darker strains of Chicago’s acid lineage with this super-limited EP exploring the murky, experimental fringes of that classic acid sound. Swedish hardware freak Dungeon Acid kicks off proceedings in style with the menacing Nude Descending A Staircase, where a billowing bassline is blown out over razor-sharp claps and shifting acid accents. It all comes together as a hardware dream, with references to Gerd or the Viewlexx imprint falling away as Dungeon Acid crafts something uniquely his own. Next on the A-side is EP highlight Subway Antlers courtesy of brilliantly-named Ron Hardly, who lets loose a churning acid roller, unrestrained and darkly propulsive. The ominous atmospherics are the key here, a rising chord sequence laying waste to tight drum patterns and bright synth squeals.

Angkar Loeu

For the B-side, a tasteful set of producers tread stranger territory to equally enthralling effect. Wasting no time, L.I.E.S affiliate Torn Hawk offers the formless acid squall of Black Rain (FastThroneMix), where a treated vocal is looped beyond the bounds of humanity over aggressive storms of distortion and hammering percussion. The hits keep coming, as Dro Carey whips on his lauded Tuff Sherm alias for Idle Engines, a track which stands out by dint of its patience and subtlety, made up of ghostly ambient passages and subdued drums sounding like the inner workings of some vast machine. Finally Worker\Parasite rounds off the collection with the stark Angkar Loeu, where a venomous 303 lick scratches at the paintwork of mechanical glitches and a hollow kick. Dark Acid is pulled off without a hitch: a tough, seductive package, showcasing a set of distinct producers at the top of their game, united under the glorious banner of acid.

8/10