Magnetic Northwest & Mannheim Rocket // Magnetic Rockets

Having been suitably impressed by Preston based Stephen Pelling’s (aka Magnetic Northwest’s) Hunted only a couple of months ago, it comes as little surprise that Pelling’s latest work, a collaborative effort with 3BS Records chief proprietor Mannheim Rocket, is equally as impressive.

Entitled The Magnetic Rockets EP, Magnetic Northwest and Mannheim Rocket explore each others crumpled post techno soundscapes, providing one original track each, accompanied by two remixes of each others work. The EP displays a maturity rarely seen in such a small release, perhaps helped along by Mannheim Rocket’s knack for relocating a multitude of classical samples to contemporary settings. The EP’s musical references don’t end here however, including a further diversifying array of outlooks, from the dark, funk tinged musings of Magnetic Northwest’s mix of Los Angeles, to the droning electronica of Mannheim Rocket’s Allegro Marcato.

Despite these varying perspectives, the EP is tied together by an enduring bruised textural approach, as if each track had been crudely stripped down to to its foundations, leaving only remnants of its integral structure. Mannheim Rocket’s take on Stormcall is a particular case in point, its warped slow motion groove constantly on the brink of disintegration. Testament to the strength of both artists production is the fact that none of the tracks featured feel in need of further expansion, showing that in this case the groundworks are solid enough to be left bare.

Pick up a copy of the Magnetic Rocket’s EP for free over at the 3BS bandcamp page.

• Published
• Oct 29, 2012

• Credits
• Words by Theo Darton-Moore