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04 // Holdie Gawn & Micawber
Label: Sylphe Records
Format: Limited 12”
Release Date: 23/09/13
There’s little public information available about London based Sylphe Records, and from the content of their manifesto, it seems like this is the way they want to keep it. What we can tell you however is that Sylphe is a vinyl-only imprint with a simple, unrestricted aim - to release “unconventional and honest electronic music, with no compromises”.
Who is behind the two intriguing moniker’s Holdie Gawn & Micawber that have appeared on every Sylphe release so far is anyone’s guess, however both their productions feature a wealth of musical ideas which interlink beautifully with one another.
Listening through to Holdie Gawn’s previous contributions to the Sylphe series it’s clear that the producer holds a penchant for sullen, downcast techno which makes up the groundwork from which he can recontextualise a range of different samples. Gawn’s contribution to 04, ‘Quotre’ is no different, as powdery, shuffled rhythms drive forward downcast musique concréte style piano work. Peripheral growls and filtered outcries occasionally break through, leading up to Gawn’s breakdown, providing a stuttered piano interlude before sinking back into the realms of hypnotic dub-techno.
Whilst remaining equally as mesmeric as the a-side offering, ‘Wierden’ takes on the kind of sparse percussion and murky low-end you’d expect to find in Rrose’s productions, as outbursts of unsettling, analogue synth work occasionally punctuate Micawber’s dense atmospheres.
It’s testament to the quality of Sylphe’s output thus far that the label has managed to gain such respectability with little information put out about itself or its artists, and an incredibly refreshing approach in an age that seems to be increasingly dominated by glossy images and endless press releases.
- Published
- Sep 24, 2013
- Credits
- Words by Theo Darton-Moore