If an artist is as interesting as Lynn Standafer aka Enduser, and has worked with such amazing artists as Justin K. Broadrick or Bill Laswell, and if we are then offered a full-scale record premiere - how could we say no? Here is our premiere of Enduser’s upcoming record Unquiet - sit back, relax and enjoy the tasty journey.
The following might sound like one of the strangest comparisons you have heard in a long time, but hear me out with it, okay? To me, the new record by Enduser ias similar to specific kinds of a hot cocoa or hot chocolate. Hear my reasoning:
Every (normal) person likes hot cocoa/chocolate, right? Well, similar to that most of us can listen to some electronic music and not be completely disgusted by what we hear, because it can have a heart-warming effect, especially if features some of those nice, spherical elements that reach directly for our core. Unquiet has those spherical elements galore and they never aim for the punch but rather to embrace us. If we then differentiate between hot cocoa and hot chocolate, especially the darker variant, then Enduser’s newest record is surely the rather refined hot dark chocolate version which is a kind of acquired taste. The new record, just like most of his work is a finely amalgamated thing which might not sound like something so sweet when first encountered. But give it some time, if you are not that familiar with Breakbeat and/or Drum’n’Bass - this record is a good introduction because it combines a lot of the aspects that make this a mighty interesting genre. Then, to spice our hot chocolate a bit, you should add some spice. Whether it’s “Five Spice”, to give it a certain winter feeling, or some exotic star anise to enrich it with a special underlying current of herbiness, or even a good amount of chili flakes to give you a kick that will enhance the cocoa - any add-on is a great one. For this record one can surely see some of the noisier elements of, for example, “Unreal”. Here the beats run counter against each other and if giving it a third, fourth or fifth run, one can see that the magnificent thing about the record is surely the way that the synth passages keep it all together so that the singular features of each track really enhance the palate - just like spices in a dark hot chocolate. Last but not least, a drink like that surely transports us back to memories from times long gone. And Unquiet does just that for me - it reminds me times 20, 25, 30 years ago, when I was an avid follower of the Electronic music scene because it was the freshest thing out there. Artists like Squarepusher, Roni Size or Venetian Snares were the heroes of the nights. Enduser is able to do that - beam me back to a time and space … but the wormhole lets me also recognize this as part of our day and age. Because admit it - memories are great but if there is a record that can take us back in time and still sound modern and fresh and not outdated and stale, then this is an admirable experience.
But before I blabber away too much - here is what the barista, uhm artist has to say about his work himself: “‘The flow / track listing of this album was very important to me. Initially it comes off as a bit playful, with slight mood dips - much like my first couple of winters in Sweden. The middle of the record seems a bit more bright and hopeful - but still had some aggression here and there. Once it comes full circle I think the layers of emotion really speak for themselves, and regardless of where you are geographically or in life in general - seasons will always exist and influence our perspectives’”
And a cup of good hot dark chocolate with Five Spice and chili flakes is never a bad thing… no matter which season it is.
You can pre-order the record via Bandcamp and now enjoy Unquiet!
