ALBUM REVIEW: P.H.0 - Karma

P.H.0's full-length debut, Karma, combines cyber-synthwave, black metal, drum & bass, and East Asian traditional music into a head-spinning, reality-warping fusion.

Reviewed by Alex "Ash" Han

 

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Before reading this review, be sure to stream Karma via P.H.0's Linktree page!

 

FEW THINGS ARE AS EXCITING as an LP which fully commits itself to breaking genre barriers and challenging our preconceived notions of how to categorize music. In this regard, it's hard to think of a more striking example than P.H.0's debut album Karma, released at the tail end of last month. Though this album rollout took place at a bit of an inopportune time for me—mainly because I was getting steamrolled by a particularly brutal final exam period at the time—Karma has soundtracked much of the last three weeks for me, mostly on account of its insane depth and level of commitment to its crossgenre spirit. For me, this is an album which seems to throw me something new every time I put it on, with a seemingly-bottomless repository of details that speak to the amount of love & care that went into this thing.

Borne out of the collision of talents between five alumni of the MTech graduate program—producer Howard "Sen" Ouyang, drummer Pierre Zheyu Pi, guitarist Jun Guo, erhuist Danting "Chi-Chi" Qiao, and modular synth artist Minghim Tong—the eclecticism that defines P.H.0's work is evident just from the lineup. My first taste of P.H.0 came in the form of "Ascension", the lead single from Karma, which showcased an epic, larger-than-life collision between Mongolian morin khuur music, black metal, and breakcore. That song showcased a number of really compelling crossover points between the various artists in P.H.0's lineup, as "Ascension" threw us a ton of moments wherein everyone just seemed to click, their synergy propelling the song forward with an infectious and relentless sense of momentum. In short, hearing a lead single as interesting and driven as "Ascension" really got my hopes up going into Karma, and I found myself hoping that the whole LP would build on the wild eclecticism and impeccable pacing of their prior material. Suffice it to say that that expectation was definitively met, as Karma proved to be nothing less than a rollercoaster ride of mind-boggling proportions, pulling from a world's worth of different sounds to create a very compelling showcase of the artistic identity that makes P.H.0 who they are.

"To say Karma is a meticulously planned project is an absolute exaggeration, as it was initially intended to be an EP but quickly grew into a full-length album because we are an indecisive bunch with a strong tendency toward perfectionism, which can be excessively fastidious at times. However, despite resulting in a very intensive production and engineering process, that insistence on perfectionism is what made us very proud of the end product, and we are finally able to share with you our debut album: Karma." –Howard Ouyang a.k.a. Sen

 

The LP opens with "Vanity", featuring a distant East Asian traditional sample replete with pentatonic woodwind melodies and tangu drumbeats before crashing into a black metal breakdown anchored in heavy guitars and huge acoustic drums. The momentum of the pounding drums lends the LP a very real sense of urgency and energy from the track's opening seconds, blasting out of the gates with a great degree of fanfare. Pierre and Jun combine to make for a very compelling introduction to the universe of P.H.0, combining hard-hitting drumming with thick, distorted metal riffs that jacks the energy up to 11. Minghim also makes an early appearance here, contributing little synthesizer notes and sound effects that flicker in and out of each ear, which add a nice bit of diversification to the rhythmic soundscape provided by Pierre's drums. Before long, we hit a huge curveball of a sudden tempo slowdown that seems ripe for headbanging, giving Minghim's wailing background synth textures and Jun's heavy guitar a moment to shine. Soon after, though, the tempo speeds back up to normal, and Jun throws us some clean arpeggiated guitar picking over tangu drums; Chi-Chi's erhu makes its first appearance here, its weeping, singsong timbre making for an excellent break from the heavy metal wall of sound textures that defined the track's first half. Chi-Chi's erhu playing is truly beautiful, lending the track a really nice expressive and contemplative edge that serves as a nice contrast with the track's more aggressive metal leanings. Chi-Chi maintains her posture as the lead performer throughout this second leg of the track, even as the background synths begin to swell and we collapse into a section backed by electronic drums and sidechained synth bass, serving as a detour into a sort of listing, darkwave-esque groove. I thought the sidechaining of Jun's distorted chords to the kick drum was really well done here, and gave this section a really nice sort of hybrid synthwave/metal vibe I really enjoyed. In short, "Vanity" feels excellent in terms of its pacing; no one section drags for too long, and the arrangement choices made in taking us from metal to erhu soloing to synthwave feel earned and natural. The journey-like experience of this track is excellent, and it does a wonderful job at capturing a meandering, winding path through many different musical territories that sets up the ground we're to cover in the rest of the LP very well.

"…the opening track 'Vanity' started over a year ago, even before the band was formed, as Howard’s experiment with the goal of integrating Beiguan, a traditional form of music that originated in northern Taiwan in the 17th century, with laser-like guitar riffs that aim to imitate the atonality and the articulation of the suona, a traditional Chinese wind instrument commonly used in Beiguan… Jun, bringing his post-rock influences, added an ambient guitar section filled with reverb washes, which inspired Howard to add an erhu solo on top of it as well as Pierre to follow up the post-rock section with a synthwave breakdown combined with Djent-like, palm-muted riffs and a lead part played with a real suona by our friend Tong, a professional Chinese flute and suona player based here in the city. What was originally a straightforward, mosh pit-friendly experimental metal track became an amalgamation of our musical experiences spanning across progressive metal, post-rock, synthwave, and traditional Chinese folk music." –Howard Ouyang a.k.a. Sen

The LP's second track, "Shin (feat. Her Dark Heaven)", opens on a heavy, cinematic sweeping pad sound punctuated by little synth notes here and there. A distant vocal sample soon layers over the soundscape, asking, "where's the substance, the substance of the soul?", which I thought made for a nice meditative vibe. Jun plays a clean, Metallica-esque riff over a heavy, harmonically rich synthwave sub bass as the slowly-building synth arps and touches of Chi-Chi's faraway, reverb-soaked erhu build tension in the back. The track reads like something of an interlude to me, and though I'm not normally a fan of interludes appearing this early in the tracklist, the swell into the subsequent track "Yè" is amazing and works really well as a buildup within the context of the greater project's pacing.

"My life is split into two parts: during the day, I follow the rules, working along the L train between Bushwick and Chinatown. I present myself as the ideal image that my parents, who believe in the Chinese Communist dream, prefer. Every day, they remind me about my life in America—on the other side of the Earth—which they both hate and miss deeply.
At night, I tear off my stockings and immerse myself in the horror of the darkness, enjoying the collective nightmare of a surreal and bizarre humanity, as if the rules and suffering of the daytime no longer exist. I no longer remember how I clutched my visa and struggled to survive on this land, forgetting how people reminded me that different faces and voices were my sins.
At this moment, my music is my scream, it is the only language I have in my panic. It represents me, if you listen." –Danting Qiao a.k.a. Chi-Chi

Jun's riff from "Shin" continues and grows into "Yè (feat. Her Dark Heaven)", the third track on Karma. Heavy metal chugs punctuate the soundscape between shredded melodic passages on electric guitar, loosely echoed by Minghim's screaming synth textures in the background. Distant, almost-androgynous, light vocals enter during the verse, bringing a plaintive timbre alongside octave doubling and supremely catchy, soaring melodies. Vocalist Jack Doyle's vocal performance on the track is awesome, bringing a somewhat disaffected, numb-sounding emotional texture that nonetheless conveys a great deal of pathos, reminding me a bit of Julian Casablancas in the process. Amidst this titanic vocal chorus, we catch little atmospheric washes of erhu and occasional clean guitar chords poking through the soundscape, which I thought made for a really nice touch. The middle section brings a come-down moment where Jun's melodic guitar gradually builds layers on top of itself in polyphonic harmony before pulling back slightly to make room for Minghim's textural synth touches. The whole band feels utterly locked in on this track in particular, with each member seamlessly coming to the forefront at select moments and passing the spotlight around; Jun and Chi-Chi have excellent interplay as the two predominantly "lead" performers, if you will, backed by Minghim, Howard, and Pierre in equal measure. Nevertheless, the soundscape never threatens to overwhelm Jack, whose lead vocals anchor the track and provide a nice sense of pathos to play off of Chi-Chi's expressive erhu playing. In short, I thought the pacing of this track was particularly excellent, and the interplay between each member of P.H.0 was done really smartly as well. After an ending section featuring a half-time breakdown where the vocals return, the track ends and we fade out to the sound of static noise.

"The title track 'Yè' (or 'Karma' in English) and its overture 'Shin' are the only two tracks with vocals (huge props to our great friend Jack Doyle from Her Dark Heaven for contributing their angelic vocal!) that we wrote from scratch and later produced together as a group. 'Yé' started as two guitar parts written by Howard playing pentatonic scales to imitate traditional Chinese plucked string instruments, but what truly defined it was Jun's addition of an ambient guitar lead that set the tone of the track: ethereal, heavy, at times eerie, and most importantly, East Asian — and not in the Western, on-the-surface sense where we could simply add a gong at the beginning of every section or a sample of any traditional East Asian instrument on top of a heavy metal or EDM instrumental." –Howard Ouyang a.k.a. Sen

"Jiva" begins with muffled, sub-heavy, pounding drum pattern, eventually becoming ornamented with additional shakers and percussion. Jun's guitar outlines a distorted, wailing melody in Phrygian dominant mode to introduce us to the harmonic soundscape of the track, setting the mood with a rather alien and desolate vibe. Chittering percussion and ambiguously tonal synth pads contribute to the growing apocalyptic mood of the track, before we hit a short vocoder break, followed by a tempo change that speeds us up and ratchets up the energy of the track. Electronic drums and heavy bass enter in full force, taking us into another synthwave/metal crossover section featuring octave-lead guitar and swelling synth arrangements. The vocoder returns, outlining a cacophony of speaking voices, talking over one another and becoming increasingly digitized in a really cool moment that evokes a sort of robotic symphony. "Jiva" feels like a sonic hurricane, a barrage of sounds that nonetheless remains tightly focused and evocative of some really cool sonic territory.

"The modular synth and the erhu production started later in the entire production pipeline, taking place mostly at Minghim’s studio apartment where he recorded and [engineered] the erhu by himself. Minghim’s addition of modular synth and additional production works also elevate the production value of the entire record, most notably on 'Jiva' and 'Wu Wuo': for example, the fragmented, modular chaos at the end of 'Jiva', which was made using Howard’s and his wife’s recitation of a poem from the game Cyberpunk 2077, and the thick, immersive layers of textures and pads under the erhu solo in 'Wu Wuo'." –Howard Ouyang a.k.a. Sen

The LP's fifth track, "Mo", features drum & bass influences front and center, as we open on a distant, weeping string sample and an uptempo, sped-up breakbeat. Chi-Chi's pentatonic erhu melodies are once again utilized nicely over a huge sub bass and distant, wailing pads. Minghim hits us with a breakdown section augmented with stereoized downers and distant flashes of chopped-up erhu in a moment that I thought made for a really cool moment of calm before the storm. However, in true P.H.0 fashion, it isn't long before we return to the aesthetics of black metal & doom metal. Pierre brings us a rapidly-subdivded kick drum and a syncopated rhythm that synergizes well with Jun's heavy chugs. Soon, the rhythm section finds a steady, driving pulse, where Minghim gets the lead, articulating some cool, icy synth melodies over the top of Jun's wall of guitars. A really cool moment came during a 12/8 time switch, where a plucked string instrument enters the stereo field; I'm not totally certain, but I think the string instrument is a guzheng, which made for a super cool addition that feels right at home amidst the guitars somehow. I remained seriously wowed by the intersectionality of P.H.0's synthesis of traditional East Asian instruments within an electronic metal context, and I thought that the inclusion of the guzheng here was a really tastefully done example of this. Shortly thereafter, Chi-Chi gets an erhu solo where she truly shreds, playing some super impressive fast riffs over Jun's massive guitar backing. In keeping with P.H.0's signature sound, "Mo" is another track which feels like a journey from start to finish, with stops along the way in various musical landscapes which P.H.0 harnesses and makes their own.

"Maruya" is a shorter track, clocking in at just under two minutes, and opens on a distorted, warped, almost-vocal sample. Minghim's synth textures soon enter to provide a steady arpeggiated techno, acid-house bassline, augmented with pleasant dissonances and faraway flashes of percussion. The track maintains a dynamic and constantly shifting soundscape on account of the use of arrangement FX and moving filters, which I thought was really cool. Soon, we get a four-on-the-floor kick which steadily builds energy heading into a huge key change accompanied by icy, howling synth pads and a haunting, arrhythmic vocoder. The cinematic, sweeping energy of this track is truly awesome, and feels like a movie trailer-sized spin on the artistic leanings of artists like Kid Reno. The inclusion of this interlude-like track made for a nice moment of respite from the otherwise-breakneck pace that defines this LP, allowing the listener to take a breath and be quietly immersed in the heady, apocalyptic, cyberpunk world of Karma for a second, while also serving as a very compelling showcase of Minghim and Howard's talents.

"Wu Wuo" returns us to techno territory, kicking off with a steady kick pulse and warped, robotic vocal samples. The Kid Reno & Dog Collar parallels remained strong for me here, with the heavy, subby pulse of the drums reminding me a little of the Ecliptic collaboration track "jacuzzi" from Dog Collar's Jungle Fairy Tale EP last year. Flickering percussion breakbeats (maybe bongos?) pair with offbeat open hats to create an interesting cross-section of traditional music that nonetheless exists in firmly electronic territory. Soon, Jun's guitar comes crashing in, outlining an indisputably sick Phrygian riff that intertwines throughout Chi-Chi's erhu passages. The interplay between Chi-Chi and Jun is showcased really well here, I feel, with both getting plenty of chances to solo and flex their instrumental chops; in particular, Chi-Chi's rapid, nimble sixteenth note shreds made for a really cool addition. A spoken, 1950s radio play-esque vocal sample plays over a short break, proclaiming the forthcoming abolishment of worldly pleasures in a moment that furthers Karma's ominous vision of the future. Finally, there's a really cool halftime break in the last leg of the track where the guitar breaks off into syncopated chugs as Minghim's wailing synth textures take up residence in the background before the track's eventual end. On first listen, the dynamism that so often defines P.H.0's work for me felt less present here, and I felt less like I was being taken on a journey as compared to some of the other more rhapsodic endeavors in the tracklist, but as I've come back to this track more and more, it's slowly entrenched itself as being one of my favorites on the album. The apocalyptic soundscape of Karma is conveyed nowhere better than through the distant spoken proclamations, erhu shredding, pounding subs, and crashing metal riffs of "Wu Wuo", and the vibe of this track is nothing short of incredible.

"Bodhaka" is another short, interlude-style track that opens on soaring, dark-80s cyberwave synths before collapsing into a huge open fifths vocal sample that rides the line between organic and synthetic. Minghim's sound design really shines here, with a ton of cool evolving chord tones that incrementally fade in and out to keep the musical soundscape slowly yet resolutely moving forward. Around halfway through, the track enters a big switchup with a bunch of pseudo-vocal synth pads entering, accompanied by what sounds like a distant howl in the background. It's a really cool sound; I'm not sure whether its origins are organic or fully synthetic in nature, but either way, it makes for a really cool cinematic moment, a cloud-clearing rush that takes us into the LP's final act.

"While most drum parts were pre-programmed by Howard for demo purposes, Pierre, as the drummer of the band, was in charge of programming the drums, selecting kits, and perfecting the flow of the drums to make them sound realistic when they needed to. We used a mix of virtual drum instrument plugins by GetGood Drums and stock Ableton drum samples." –Howard Ouyang a.k.a. Sen

"Genko", the penultimate track on Karma, opens with a pulsing, cybernetic D minor synth groove that rather reminded me of the soundtrack to Detroit: Become Human for some reason. A lead melody soon enters over the faraway, muted pulse of the kick drum, taking the form of an erhu sidechained in quarter notes, which I thought made for a really nice touch of extra dynamism, even amongst Chi-Chi's already very expressive playing. The Phrygian zither countermelodies sound excellent in context, once again showcasing P.H.0's ability to combine melodic textures from synthetic and Asian traditional soundscapes. The track hits with a huge beat drop that takes us into a synthwave drum pattern consisting of a steadily rising & falling hi-hat pattern over a reverbed, snappy snare drum and a solid kick. The momentum of this thing feels very unwavering and purposeful, evoking images like an android factory assembly line, metallic robot arms clanging in unison up and down the way. Eventually, we break into a clanging snare with trap hi-hat rolls over a detuned synth bass and distant claps that shake up the groove a little and take us into loosely cyberpunk-ish Eurobeat territory. I thought this little change in sound selection was really nice, and made for a continuation of the previously-established vibe while still throwing us enough new material to keep us entertained. There's a nice middle section where all the synth lines slowly become more noisy, distorted, and hi-passed, before we fall back into a heavy guitar-driven section. The tempo/meter switch into 5/4 time that happens here didn't quite feel totally natural to me, though it did make the eventual return to common time amidst Jun's syncopated chugs and Chi-Chi's soaring lead that much more satisfying, so I suppose it works as a structural element. "Genko" definitely feels like an ambitious piece of work, and I really appreciated its heavier lean into the cyberpunk aesthetic of P.H.0's work—the seamless evocation of dark, neon-lit skyscrapers under a desolate, gray sky thick with smog works excellently here, and I found myself pulled even more firmly into the world of P.H.0 for a second.

With that vivid image still fresh in my mind, returning to "Ascension" felt like coming home. This song had served as my introduction to the work of P.H.0 in the first place, and it served in that role in remarkable fashion, articulating a sharp, edgy, striking picture through a laser-focused artistic vision. The momentous, cinematic, morin khuur-laden buildup right from the start of the track hits that much harder now that it arrives at album's end, and the arrival of each element one by one—the soaring erhu, the fast-paced breakbeat, the growling sub bass, the chunky, jagged power chords—feels like each band member returning to the stage at the end of the show for one last hurrah, leaving everything out there once and for all. In short, it's a listening experience of epic proportions, and its inclusion here as the last track on the album was a fitting choice. Karma goes out much the same way it came in—as the final whisper of erhu fades away, Karma cements itself as an explosive whirlwind of sounds, sandblasting its way out of the gates, whistling & howling as it whips away amidst the current, leaving behind a windswept cityscape begging for more.

"What we want is to create something new using both Western and Eastern musical elements and based on the musical framework of the East and give these historically rich and now endangered musical instruments, techniques, and ideas the representation and the reinvigoration they deserve and desperately need. We aimed to capture the essence of East Asian music not by merely adding traditional instruments as superficial ornamentation but by reflecting our social, cultural, historical, and religious experiences living in various parts of East Asia, from Taiwan and China to Japan. This very much encompasses the core theme of this record: expand upon the more Western-dominated musical palette, make musical elements derived from Western music traditions serve the musical framework of the East instead of the other way around, and develop our unique musical language, which is authentic and truly East Asian. In that sense, P.H.0 is an 'experimental' band, serving as an experiment in flipping the power dynamic between the musical framework of the East and the current musical landscape dominated by Western music traditions." –Howard Ouyang a.k.a. Sen

 

Karma is an album that exists firmly entrenched in a crossroads of sorts; the various influences from heavy metal, drum and bass, synthwave, and East Asian folk music are combined and incorporated into each other in a tasteful and natural fashion to give rise to a fusion sound that truly belongs to P.H.0 in a way not many artists can claim. Each of the contributions of P.H.0's five members feel clear and distinct, pulling from a diverse selection of different lived experiences & musical backgrounds that nonetheless come together into a cogent & cohesive whole that feels far greater than the sum of its individual parts. For me, the album experience encapsulated a really poignant summation of my own experience as a product of the Asian-American diaspora. Maybe it's the album's ability to adapt familiar Western musical elements to a distinctly Eastern context that feels very evocative of my own longing to reconnect with a culture and heritage from which I have always been distanced; as a child, my own parents made an effort to make sure I assimilated into American life, and I did so successfully, but at the cost of my connections with my Chinese and Korean heritage. My own lack of immersion into my family's culture and inability to speak their languages permanently distances me from ever being truly accepted as being a part of that society and world, and perhaps it is for this reason that I found Karma so powerful. Language might be learned, but music is universal, and as such, this album has a unique ability to bridge the gap across which myself, as well as many others, including the members of P.H.0, exist.

 

In short, this LP is incredible, and hits very close to home. From start to finish, the intentionality of this LP remains its biggest selling point; despite the huge diversity in sounds from which the members of P.H.0 pull, they remain resolutely self-assured as they forge a new path into uncharted territory. The creative vision behind this LP is truly striking—the band's goal of recontextualizing Western sounds in an Eastern framework is compelling from the outset, but it was evident even from the very first listen that their conceptualization of the sound they want to be associated with is crystal clear. Not one single track on this album feels like a half-baked idea, or a loose figment of an ill-fated artistic experiment that never should have left the drawing board. The imagery elicited by this album was also extremely strong, and I found its creative vision to be exceptionally vivid and striking as a result; the conceptualization and execution of Howard's vision was achieved remarkably well on account of everyone's careful contributions, innovative sound design, and excellent management of their own soundscape. Aside from a few minor points of contention with the mix, which are likely stemming from my own personal preferences anyways, this LP is bulletproof. Karma is likely to be one of the most striking debuts I've heard in a long time, and I fully consider myself to be aboard the P.H.0 hype train now—wherever they take us next, I'm sure that both the destination and the journey will deliver something insightful, profound, and ascendant, and I await eagerly for them to take us there.

Personal enjoyment score: 10 out of 10

Standout tracks: "Vanity", "Yè (feat. Her Dark Heaven)", "Mo", "Wu Wuo", "Ascension"

EP REVIEW: Dog Collar - Jungle Fairy Tale

Jungle Fairy Tale continues and builds on Dog Collar's total commitment to the spirit of headbanging, taking his unique sound to even greater heights.

Reviewed by Ash

AUTHOR'S NOTE: As always, please remember to support Dog Collar's work by streaming the EP! The links to the EP on all platforms can be accessed through Dog Collar's Linktree! Also, feel free to check out my review of Dog Collar's previous studio album, Turbo Squid, at this link.

 

UPDATE: This article has been updated to include credits for the sample used in "catherine", per Dog Collar's request!

 

AT THE OUTSET OF the most recent fall semester, Dog Collar, known as Sunil Prahbu to his colleagues on the eighth floor, released his most recent album, the nine-track, 38-minute Turbo Squid. Packed back-to-front with hard-edged, bass-heavy electronic bangers, Turbo Squid combined techno, jungle, and drum & bass influences into a chaotic, frenzied package. The end result felt utterly tailor-made for strobe lights, massive speaker racks, and crowded nightclubs—a scene not unfamiliar to Dog Collar considering his status as a regular presence as a live performer, most frequently as one half of Ecliptic alongside fellow MTech undergrad Kid Reno. I myself really enjoyed the album—the grounded sample choices mixed with truly ingenious manipulation and constantly-evolving processing resulted in a really grimy, hard-edged aesthetic that for me is a sound uniquely associated with Sunil and his work. Turbo Squid ended up being unequivocally one of my favorite techno projects of last semester, and I found myself still bumping tracks like "Multi Split Scan" and "Praise Dobbler" well into the new year!

Luckily, Sunil didn't make us wait too long for a new Dog Collar project. This latest EP, Jungle Fairy Tale, released during the thick of finals week last December, and feels like a stylistic branching-off from Turbo Squid. While Jungle Fairy Tale retains Dog Collar's grimy, fast-paced, dance-oriented drum grooves, the sample choices employed here are generally brighter & more ethereal than those that appeared on the previous LP. The resulting intermarriage between dusty jungle breakbeats and heady, sparkling synthesizer samples creates an interesting, varied soundscape that feels like emerging into a proverbial sunrise following the underwater darkness of Turbo Squid. If you're brand new to the universe of Dog Collar, then Jungle Fairy Tale makes for an excellent introduction to Sunil's trademark swirling, undulating production; if you're a returning fan, like me, then this new EP feels like an entertaining & compelling stylistic advancement of his established style, pushing Dog Collar's unique aesthetic forward into new territory. 

The fairy tale begins with a track called "catherine", which plunges us headfirst into the music with a downward-sweeping filter over a fast-paced drum break and Phrygian bass riff, in an intro that almost evoked the aesthetics of surf rock for me were it not for the recontextualization of these elements into something that feels distinctly jungle. The instrumental soundscape here is really interesting, as we get some flickering analog synth chords and a soaring pseudo-theremin synth lead thick with vibrato for an unhinged retro vibe; think Darude's "Sandstorm" crossed with Aphex Twin. This is a sample of "Up! Up! Up!" from the Catherine: Full Body OST, sped up and manipulated in another display of Sunil's trademark sampling prowess. A wubby, distorted offbeat synth bass takes up the pulse in the track's second movement as a spoken, chopped vocal sample enters, proclaiming "we control the sound" over and over with thunderous aplomb. "catherine" makes for a rather convincing argument that Dog Collar does, indeed, control the sound, as the various elements are mashed together expertly to create a thoroughly energetic and invigorating final product with an excellent sense of dancefloor rhythm. The track eventually exchanges its wubby bass for a thickly distorted, sliding 808 that reinvents the track's groove with a huge, sub-heavy pulse that goes insanely hard. I really love Sunil's ability to communicate energy and bombast through his surging, kinetic production; as on Turbo Squid, he always switches out elements at just the right time to keep the track moving forward, showcasing a natural sense of pacing that I feel makes for a big part of why he's able to make tracks as long as this one without ever making the listener bored. "catherine" is the longest track on Jungle Fairy Tale, clocking in at a whopping five minutes and thirty-nine seconds, but Sunil's innate sense of pacing and commitment to dynamism in his production make those five minutes thoroughly enjoyable, and the track never overstays its welcome. In short, "catherine" makes for a resoundingly successful opening to the EP as it reminds the listener that Dog Collar is here to make us dance, and make us dance he does.

The following track, "thisisfun", opens with heavenly, chopped-up synth chords mashed together to create a somewhat off-kilter, ambiguously tonal chord progression under which sparse, fluttering D&B drums and a distant spoken vocal sample enter. The filter work is lovely on this track, as Dog Collar uses a variety of dynamic filters on the bass and synth chords to make them open and close in various ways that feel almost organic, sort of like the way a guitarist might use a wah pedal to achieve an imitation of the human singing voice. Around a minute and a half in, we get sung vocal chops and shimmering chimes in a moment that takes us into significantly brighter territory in terms of mood, like a brief ray of sunshine poking through. The track becomes more clearly tonal, settling in a major key for a brief moment of calm that creates a nice chill vibe and contrasts with the track's earlier modal chaos. Soon enough, though, we're thrown right back into the danceable, bass-heavy soundscape, as a swelling, subby synth bass, hissing open hats, and ethereal washes of chimes reinvigorate the track with a breakneck, driving pulse. I really enjoyed the switch-ups in this track; Dog Collar's dynamic soundscapes have always been something I've enjoyed about his music, but I feel that the careful addition of new elements and subtraction of old ones really elevates the arrangement of this track in particular. Dog Collar's careful curation of the different elements within the track really shines here, resulting in a truly dynamic listening experience that always gives the listener something new on which to fixate.

"buzzz" is a track which quickly reminded me of Nintendo music perhaps more so than any other in Dog Collar's discography, as Dog Collar pairs a fast-paced breakbeat with a steady 808 bassline and empyrean synth chords for a soundscape that feels very "Rainbow Road" to me. The addition of a distant, feminine whisper of a vocal sample feels like the track is trying to communicate a deeper feeling, and gives it a sense of poignancy and depth despite the distance of the vocal chops rendering the specific words mostly unintelligible. I don't know I can describe why it makes me feel the way that it does—but whatever Sunil did really struck a chord with me. As the track continues, we get a retro, analog-flavored synth lead in the right channel, furthering the Nintendo parallels and pushing this track further into the realm of video game music. I'm sure there's some complicated music theory explanation as to why this track resembles video game music, but I can't for the life of me figure out what exactly makes it work! I just know it does, and the resulting vibes are quite simply immaculate. The juxtaposition of bright, energetic synth samples and soothing spoken samples with dingy breakbeats and strange Phrygian-mode progressions creates a really unique cross-section only Sunil can pull off, and it's here that I catch the biggest and most visible shifts away from the heady deep-ocean darkness of Turbo Squid. The emotional contour of this track is ridiculous; it's relaxing and peaceful while also being edgy and breakneck, and I'm not sure I've heard anything like it before. Suffice it to say that "buzzz" made quite an impression on me, and something tells me it's gonna take many more listens before I find the words to sum up the way it makes me feel.

Our journey into the aesthetics of Mario Kart continues with a track titled "titled", which opens with a bending, soft-clipped synth bass over ethereal chime chords, distant, almost-tonal vocal chops, and a hard-hitting, boom bap-esque drum break. The resulting combination sort of feels like a Mario Kart soundtrack produced by A Tribe Called Quest, which is a fascinating combination that has no right to work as well as it does! Phife Dawg would be right at home over this beat's jazzy chord voicings and punchy drums; the resulting mental image made me wish Sunil would team up with a rapper and actually make a proper jazz rap album one day (I'm sure RED_E¥E or Thai Thai would be down!). The otherwise sparse drum beat goes double time about a minute in and some fast-paced, rhythmic synth parts get added to diversify the rhythm a little more. The track also brings in some heavy metal sounds in a huge curveball of a beat switch, as Dog Collar combines his trademark fast-paced acoustic drum breakbeats and syncopated synth bass with massive, chunky, distorted, Phrygian electric guitar power chords. I really enjoy the subtle rhythmic variation added by the different melodic synth parts, and the addition of the electric guitar power chords absolutely jacks the energy up to 11 in a moment that I absolutely love. I've spoken at length on this blog about how much I love guitar work outside of rock & metal songs, and Sunil manages to use the electric guitar as a true secret weapon here. It's totally unexpected and it works amazingly well, making this track perhaps one of my favorites on the album. Even by the very-high standards of a typical Dog Collar track, the dynamism and evolution of this track is off the charts, with more beat switches than I can count—but in spite of that, the song never feels disjunct, and every section flows into the next as naturally as can be. As if that wasn't enough, Dog Collar even throws us one more beat switch before the track's end, which serves as a seamless transition into the following track, "watersports".

I'm a huge sucker for seamless transitions between songs, and so "watersports" ingratiated itself to me rather well right from the outset, as it grows and expands out of the progression established during the final minute of the previous track. Dog Collar throws us a number of different samples here, including a descending melodic run played on some sort of woodwind, and a couple different sung vocal samples. These are soon paired with rapid kicks and shuffling hi-hats in a moment of true purist D&B that feels like it would have been right at home on Turbo Squid. The pulse of this track is crazy, and maintains such a fierce clip that it threatens to strain my neck from all the headbanging! As if in response to this, the track's second half brings a gradual tempo slowdown, pulling the vibes from the frenetic D&B of the first half to a significantly more chill '90s house throwback anchored in syncopated synth organ chords, four-on-the-floor kick drums, and regular, offbeat open hats. I really enjoyed this beat switch, and it makes for a really nice response to the track's frenetic opening salvo. As much as I love Sunil's ability to capture absurd levels of energy, the fact that we spend so much time headbanging makes little moments of calm like this one that much more effective. "watersports" lets us sit in this chill space for a little while before gently pulling back and exiting with a fade out.

When I first pulled up this EP and saw the tracklist, I found myself very excited to get to the last track, "jacuzzi", mainly because it's an official collaboration between Dog Collar and Kid Reno! I was super excited to see what the two producers would bring to the table together, and it made for a great opportunity to experience Ecliptic as a whole unit. The piece opens on a single syncopated bass riff; soon, swirling UFO-like sound effects and hollow, swelling pads provide a dark, cybernetic texture that feels like a marriage between the aquatic murkiness of Turbo Squid and Techno for Children & Dogs. I really enjoyed the drum work on this track; the crazy offbeat crispy snare hits, subdivided hi-hats, and splash-like kick create an excellent groove together. The synth work and sound design is also amazing here. I'm guessing Reno had something to do with that; his prowess with synthesizers is truly legendary and the otherworldly, frantic darkness of the synth texture here feels very much like a Kid Reno flavor to me. A huge beat switch hits halfway through the track, as the soundscape becomes utterly swallowed by huge, muffled sub-heavy kicks that take us down into a space that feels significantly more cavernous and claustrophobic, with reflections of the kicks bouncing off the walls and crashing back in on themselves. The soundscape becomes additionally punctuated by synth sounds, but even those gently fade away until all we're left with is a distorted, swirling, boomy texture of reverbed kicks. The track fades away on an oceanic, sweeping synth sound that takes us down and out from Jungle Fairy Tale, ending the EP on a distinctly darker note than the tracks preceding. In spite of everything, though, I found myself not a huge fan of this track, particularly the kick-heavy second half. I loved the first half, and I felt I could have been thoroughly entertained had we spent another couple minutes exploring that soundscape, but the second half felt too bottom-heavy to me. I'm sure the heavy kick and overwhelming reverb are intentional aesthetic choices, but it sounded to me like there was some clipping present, and it makes the second half of "jacuzzi" a bit overstimulating to listen to for me, on both monitors and headphones. Even so, the collision of Reno and Sunil's talents as producers was super cool to witness, and the bit when the drums first enter during the opening seconds of "jacuzzi" itself probably ranks as one of my favorite single moments on the whole project.

If it's not clear already, I really enjoyed Jungle Fairy Tale, and I feel like it's far and away the best way to enjoy the music of Dog Collar. This new EP retains the best aspects of Turbo Squid and distills them down into a tight six tracks that make for an excellent showcase of Dog Collar's unique talents. At the same time, though, it also makes for a wonderful advancement of Dog Collar's aesthetic, and I'm really enjoying this brighter, more ethereal take on his brand of unhinged, headbanging D&B. Sunil is truly at the height of his powers here, and aside from my small mixing nitpicks with "jacuzzi", I really have no major criticisms of the project. Where I felt that Turbo Squid might have spent a bit too much time exploring similar soundscapes, Jungle Fairy Tale consistently threw new and interesting ideas at me for the entirety of its runtime, and I was consistently wowed by the amount of creativity and ingenuity on display here. Where Turbo Squid was the darkness, Jungle Fairy Tale is the sunrise, and I hope that this EP marks the start of a journey onwards and upwards. I can't possibly imagine what a Dog Collar project that's even better than this one would sound like, but I await its arrival very eagerly, and I just hope that we won't have to wait for long!

Personal enjoyment score: 9 out of 10

Standout tracks: All six tracks are excellent, but if I had to pick favorites, they would probably be "buzzz" and "titled".

ALBUM REVIEW: Dog Collar - Turbo Squid

Full of punk spirit, Dog Collar's Turbo Squid is a frenetic, feverish journey through electronic music.

Reviewed by Ash

AUTHOR'S NOTE: As always, please remember to support Dog Collar by streaming, or even better, purchasing this album! I've provided links to the project on Spotify, Apple Music, Soundcloud, and Bandcamp.

LAST WEEK, I FOUND MYSELF very excited to review Kid Reno's Techno for Children and Dogs, a record which I rapidly fell in love with over its diverse, intensely creative, utterly head-spinning production. (Feel free to read our full review of Techno for Children and Dogs, attached here!) Imagine my surprise when I found out that Dog Collar a.k.a. Sunil Prabhu, who can invariably be found by Kid Reno's side during their joint live performances, had also released a concurrent album. Going in, I hoped that Dog Collar's Turbo Squid would follow and expand upon the strengths already showcased in Kid Reno's latest LP, as well as those in his own previous release, sunil album 3, released back in May. Additionally, I was eager to compare the two producers and unpack the musical ideas they share in common, while also interrogating how they each pursue their own distinct artistic journeys.

After listening through a few times, I'm pleased to say that Turbo Squid gave me all that and more. With nine tracks and 38 minutes of runtime, Dog Collar gives himself enough space to fully flesh out and explore each and every musical idea on the record; no one track is shorter than two and a half minutes, and I was never left feeling like a song had ended too soon. In my Kid Reno review, I had previously commented that Techno for Children & Dogs sounded like it was made for the dance floor, and while that is still true, it also had its fair share of meditative, chilled-out, and even peaceful moments amidst all its dance and techno influences. On the other hand, Turbo Squid brings a nonstop frenetic energy that doesn't let up for the entire album. The tracklist is stuffed with bangers that would feel right at home blasting out of massive speakers at a nightclub somewhere. Dog Collar wants you to headbang, and he doesn't want you to stop for a moment until the album is done and you're utterly spent. While I will readily admit to not being especially familiar with Dog Collar's brand of ultra-energetic, serrated, hard-edged dance music, this album provided a unique experience I'm not likely to forget anytime soon.

 The dynamic duo, Kid Reno (left) and Dog Collar (right), putting on a joint live performance together.

Our first taste of the album comes in the form of desolate, distant synth leads over manipulated robotic voices in the opening track, "Eye in the Sky". Soon enough, a frenzied, chaotic breakbeat enters as the chords develop a decidedly ominous tone and a high synth arp starts subtly lining the chords. A wubby slide bass and diverse drum fills define the next section of the track, which seems to have the ultimate goal of inducing spine-breaking levels of headbanging in the listener. The vibes are very hard-edged and punk right out of the gate, which I love; the track's dusty-sounding snare samples and heavy, modulating bass repeatedly recur throughout the record, keeping the punk vibes going strong. Despite the record's heavily electronic sound, Dog Collar has managed to utterly capture the spirit of punk on this record, which is something that caught my intrigue right away.

"Very Tired" sees various computer machinery sound effects giving the intro to this track a bit of an apocalyptic cyberpunk aesthetic that I thought worked really well with Dog Collar's sound. Cool reversed drums and a growling bass orient us by giving us a sense of rhythm before the breakbeat enters. The reversed drums lend a really cool sense of movement to the track, and the track undergoes some subtle rhythmic changes headed into the second half that constantly feed the listener something new to fixate on. Dog Collar continually switches up his drum patterns and breakbeats for a truly dynamic soundscape, making it so that I, as a listener, was never bored. We even get this interesting, Atari-sounding bitcrushed synth arp towards the back end of the track that I thought was a really great piece of sound design and sound selection.

Two kick drums and a rubbery bassline make for an especially funky and danceable vibe right away on the following track, "Multi Split Scan". An offbeat, acoustic-sounding snare and warm analog synth pads further cement this vibe; even when the track undergoes a bit of a mood switch and the chords become more dissonant, the vibes remain funky. We get a true beat switch at the song's halfway point, when the track changes key and the drums go half-time over a sick, oscillating bass patch that gives the resulting soundscape a significantly darker, green-tinted vibe. You could have told me that this whole song had stepped right out of the soundtrack for The Matrix and I wouldn't have batted an eye; it really is that good. Dog Collar's work with drums and synthesizers on this track combined with killer bass melodies make this one of my favorite instrumentals on the record.

Sampled Gregorian chanting forms the foundation of the instrumental to "greg"; Dog Collar manipulates the various vocal chops in interesting ways to create a layered melody with a lot of rhythmic movement. The choppy breakbeat and subtle sub bass adds a distinctly menacing vibe. The chops become increasingly digitized and robotic-sounding in the track's middle section, where the drums drop out to let us focus on the increasingly mangled vocals at the center of the song. Like Kid Reno's "YOU CAN'T KILL THEM ALL_145", this track really made me develop an appreciation for Dog Collar's talents as a sampler and manipulator of audio.

Thankfully, the impressive sampling work doesn't end there, as a sped-up, chipmunked pop sample forms the heart of the next track, "froufrou". Dog Collar's added drums give the sample an interesting cinematic tilt; I really like the sound selection for the drums on this track in particular, as the super punchy and powerful snare feels like a natural fit with Dog Collar's established sound. The regular-speed version of the sample occasionally surfacing is also a really nice arrangement touch, and I love the moments when the vocals poke through the mix and come to the front before then once more being submerged beneath the insane production. As the track continues, the offbeat groove becomes supplemented with saw melodies and a trap-style 808 bass. I don't quite know how to articulate the mix of emotions that the pop sample and frenetic, hard-edged production makes me feel, but I think it's a really nice combination and it certainly made for one of the most unique and enjoyable listens on the record.

"Revolutionary Girl" brings more sampling trickery as we get stacked and manipulated choral vocal samples. About a minute in, a growling, distorted synth bass appears that mimics the vocal melody in cool ways. The amplitude-modulated lead synth that enters at the track's halfway point is also a nice touch that furthers the wild spirit of this song. Dog Collar also gives us a new arrangement of the vocal sample shortly afterwards, with the rest of the synth parts updated to match. Dog Collar's melodies really shine on this track, as everything comes together to create a thoroughly feverish and energetic experience that is sure to fuel many dance floors to come.

On "Praise Dobbler", a really richly textured, warm analog pad plays seventh chords under a slightly bitcrushed lead vocal before an insane, uptempo drum pattern enters. Despite the breakneck tempo, this song has a relatively chill atmosphere compared to others on the album, and the synth pad and vocals go together perfectly. We slow down a little bit when the drums go halftime, giving us a brief moment to breathe before we kick back into full speed. I don't know if I'd exactly characterize this track as "relaxing" in isolation, but in context with the rest of the record, it's a little calmer and I appreciate the unique vibe it cultivates very much.

The final two tracks feature the only guest performer on the record, alsoknownasrox—whom I assume helped out with the production. "Turbo Track" opens with an African-sounding bongo pattern under an orchestral string sample, which lends this track a heavily cinematic feel. Soon, chopped-up rap vocals enter, broken up into various chunks that are then scattered over the arrangement in interesting ways. A reversed lead synth and harmonically-rich synth bass continue feeding the listener interesting things to hold onto. I also love the incorporation of what sound like subtle guitar power chords; although mixed very low, whatever that particular sound element is, it works perfectly in the context of the full song. As the track enters its final act, rich strings return, playing an ascending melody; the vibes of this track are unmistakably large in scale and cinematic at heart. Truly one of the most turbo tracks of all time.

Dog Collar doesn't make us wait long for the sequel, since "Turbo Track Two" follows immediately after as the final track on the album. It begins with an expansive-sounding organ sample over pounding, tight kick drums that modulate and change timbre as the song goes on. The drums drop out a bit later in the track, replaced by chimes that make for a momentary break in the action, leading us into a clean, simple breakbeat that ends the album on a more muted note. As much as I respect Dog Collar's decision to not go super maximalist just because it's the last track, I do wish the track carried a little bit more dynamism and variation. Maybe it's a factor of its length; at only two minutes and thirty seconds, "Turbo Track Two" doesn't get anywhere near as long as the other tracks do to develop and progress its musical ideas. Either way, though, the ending track wasn't my favorite, though it didn't take away from my enjoyment of the record too much.

Speaking of my enjoyment of the record, in case it wasn't clear already, I really like this album. Coming into this album fresh off of having just fallen in love with Techno for Children and Dogs made for an interesting experience as well, as Dog Collar gives us something significantly more wild, intense, and punk that nonetheless also demonstrates a really solid and well-rounded skill set. His acumen for melodies, arrangement, sound design, sound selection, drum programming, and general creativity are all on display in full force here. The LP feels very cohesive; similar sound selection and production choices run through all nine tracks, generating a very strong feeling of being pulled firmly into Dog Collar's universe for 38 minutes. The album feels like a condensed package of potential energy; the sheer amount of forceful potency and wild exultation radiating from the music make it a thoroughly memorable, albeit very intense, listening experience. I can't wait to hear these tracks live; at the next Dog Collar/Kid Reno live show, look around, and there's a fairly good chance you might see me very much enjoying myself!

Personal enjoyment score: 8 out of 10

Standout tracks: "Multi Split Scan", "froufrou", "Praise Dobbler", "Turbo Track"

ALBUM REVIEW: Kid Reno - Techno for Children & Dogs

On Techno for Children & Dogs, Kid Reno showcases innovative production and über-creative sampling work.

Reviewed by Ash

 

AUTHOR’S NOTE: Before reading this review, please support Kid Reno by streaming or purchasing the album. I’ve provided links to the album on Spotify, Soundcloud, Apple Music, and Bandcamp.

IF YOU'VE SPENT ANY significant length of time hanging out on the eighth floor of the Education Building, or attended any Collegium Seminar meeting this semester, chances are you’ve crossed paths with Kid Reno. With skills in everything ranging from Max MSP to film soundtracking and live DJing, Reno is a multidimensional artist who pushes the boundaries that define the limitations of the role of the producer. He has a large portfolio of work across Soundcloud, Bandcamp, and streaming services, and frequently performs live DJ sets both solo and alongside fellow MTech student Sunil Prabhu, known in musical circles as Dog Collar. Suffice it to say, Reno’s skill set is vast, his involvement with the MTech community is deep, and his music reflects that diversity and depth as well.

With all this in mind, I found myself very excited to learn that Reno’s latest LP, Techno for Children & Dogs, had been released on Soundcloud at the tail end of September this year. I admittedly did not get around to listening to the full LP until it appeared on Spotify earlier this week. What I got was everything I’d expected from a Kid Reno project and more: twelve tracks, totaling 33 minutes of runtime, showcasing insanely creative sampling, head-spinning production, meticulously-crafted sound selection, all culminating in a tightly focused, frenetic package that seems purpose-built for DJ clubs and dance floors. When listening to these tracks, the mental image of flashing nightclub lights and crazy Max MSP visuals is remarkably easy to conjure. The performance aspect of Kid Reno’s music permeates every fiber of this LP—not to say that the music can’t be enjoyed on its own merits, of course, because the songs themselves are excellent in their own right. At the end of the day, the sheer creativity that went into crafting Techno for Children & Dogs is plainly evident in every breakbeat, every chopped sample, and every piece of synthesis, resulting in one of my favorite projects released by an MTech student in recent memory.

 

A snapshot of a typical Kid Reno live performance, this one in collaboration with Dog Collar (a.k.a. Sunil Prabhu). Photography by Alex Ehasz (@square_enigma on Instagram).

We begin with “SINGULARITY 84_4”, which opens the album with a menacing vocal sample mangled just beyond the point of intelligibility. The trippy vocal chops and pulsating synth arpeggios create a dark, not-quite-but-almost-’80s cyberpunk vibe. After the track builds for a couple minutes, we are rewarded with pounding breakbeats and rumbling, reverb-heavy kick drums that open the album with quite the fireworks show. It is clear from the get-go that Reno wants us to headbang, and I found the frenetic energy that infused this track to be quite infectious. On first listening, I came out of “SINGULARITY 84_4” very much looking forward to what the rest of the LP would bring.

Given how electric and frantic the opening track was, I was definitely a little surprised by the second track, “REDEYEBROWS135”. Reno crafts an elaborate soundscape composed of ethereal synth bells over a tight, rounded synth bass and a drum groove that calls back to ‘90s house and dance music, making this track somewhat more chill (but no less danceable) than its predecessor. The track’s aquatic, echoing middle section employs wubby kicks and heavy delays & reverb that make excellent use of the entire stereo field. Listening to this track with headphones on for the first time was a truly otherworldly experience, though it was also one that I hope will be eclipsed by the experience of seeing this performed live for the first time. In my own experience, it’s generally a somewhat rare occasion when I fall utterly in love with a track on first listen, but “REDEYEBROWS135” was the exception for me, and it’s cemented its place as one of my favorites on the whole LP. The laid-back, underwater dance vibe of this track is immaculate, and I expect to see it in regular rotation on my Spotify from here on out.

 

A taste of Kid Reno's distinctive, trippy visual style.
 

The aptly-named “two violins named gabriel 85” returns to banger territory. The track is based around a sample of strings, chopped and processed in various ways that make them almost unrecognizable. Reno employs filters and envelopes along with a ton of really creative sampling trickery over a relentless, chugging drum groove. The track becomes decidedly demented by its end, and the segue into “DDS” comes at a perfect time, just before the music becomes overwhelming. “DDS” itself sees smooth, sliding pad chords mixed with crunchy drums and strange panning sound effects to create a simple, yet constantly shifting groove. Acoustic drum samples are integrated seamlessly with distorted hits and mangled percussion, once again showing Reno’s penchant for selecting just the right sounds for every vibe. This is the first track on the album that really left me wanting more; at just two minutes and seven seconds, my only complaint is that I wish the track was longer.

“LUCY” is another shorter track, based upon a mournful piano riff and a vocal sample that is variously reversed, pitched, and time-stretched. There is no headbanging to be found here; instead, “LUCY” makes for a fleeting moment of meditativeness in a record otherwise thoroughly devoted to the pursuit of dance and insane sounds. However, Reno doesn’t break away from the dance floor for long, as “ZENITH148” really showcases Reno’s innate feel for programming drums. A powerful voice declares “my name is Zenith” over a breakneck groove of syncopated drums. The percussion work here is truly outstanding and places this track among my favorites on the record. The groove never feels static, the rhythm is pounding and relentless, and there is no shortage of ear candy upon which the listener can fixate. The good times don’t stop there, though, as next, we get “TVSTATIC131”. Drill percussion rhythms over a synth steel pan riff that sounds like it could have stepped right out of the Mario Kart soundtrack combined with trippy sampled vocal harmonies and crunchy static samples repurposed into drums make for a truly inspired one minute and nine seconds of music. If there ever was a track that deserved to be longer, it’s this one.

 

Kid Reno and Dog Collar performing a live DJ set. Photography by Alex Ehasz (@square_enigma on Instagram).

“BUBBLEBOUNCE169” is another aptly-named track, incorporating popping bubble noises in pursuit of creating one of the record’s craziest drum grooves. This is another track best heard through headphones, as the insane synth chops and panning arpeggios make for a spatially trippy listening experience. The following track, “SP33D”, showcases Reno’s mastery of filters, which he uses to great effect during the track’s long slow burn opening. Heavy kicks go along with chaotic, yet controlled percussion and killer synth riffs to create one of my favorite tracks on the album. The vibes here are dark and frenetic, and Reno’s production and mixing work keeps the track consistently entertaining. There’s truly never a dull moment on this record, and “SP33D” showcases that characteristic particularly well.

If you thought the rest of the album was danceable, just wait until you hit the tenth track, “ORWHERE135”, which employs a shifting, filtered sample and a pseudo-Miami bass drum pattern to create a track that feels especially well-suited for the dance floor. Clanging, metallic percussion collides with 808-style claps to give this one a somewhat charming, if slightly off-kilter retro vibe, like the track just stepped out of an alternate reality, demented version of a ‘90s dance club. In contrast, “YOU CAN’T KILL THEM ALL_145” shows off Reno’s total command of the intricacies of sampling, as he converts what sounds like a 1950s barbershop quartet into a pounding banger with heavy trap 808s and ticking percussion. Reno even lets us follow along, first playing us the unaltered sample before slowly taking us through the process of chopping it up into the pattern that lays the foundation for the rest of the track. It was truly entertaining to be able to follow along and observe the sample being manipulated on my first listen, and I think it added a lot to my enjoyment of the track.

 

As a viewer, it's always obvious when you're looking at a Kid Reno visual. 

For the purposes of this review, I also checked out the currently Soundcloud-exclusive bonus track, “JERSEYBIRDS”. This track is an interesting one, being based around eerie manipulated bird samples with creative delays and filters. Trippy, chopped almost-drums give the track a definite sense of movement. Atonal and almost entirely rhythmic, this track is a relatively chill, yet unsettling oasis amongst the rest of the songs on the record. If nothing else, the calls of the birds speak to Reno’s skill in sampling and sample manipulation.

The final track, “CHAOS”, sees a sampled narration discussing the nature of heaven and hell over spacey synth pads. The track almost fooled me into thinking Reno was going to close out the album on a mellow and understated note, but soon enough, the crashing St. Anger snares and pounding drum groove proved me utterly wrong. The record goes out the same way it came in—with a bang.

 

Reno and Sunil share a moment of levity together during a live set. Photo by Alex Ehasz (@square_enigma on Instagram).
 

Suffice it to say that Techno for Children & Dogs is one hell of an experience. It’s a unique body of work that carves itself a distinct niche not just amongst MTech students, but in the greater landscape of DIY electronic music as a whole. Its innovative production techniques and creative sampling result in a thoroughly entertaining album experience in which Kid Reno harnesses a veritable galaxy of different sounds, energies, and vibes to create something truly remarkable. I have almost no complaints with this album outside of a couple of tracks (looking at you, “DDS” and “TVSTATIC131”) that I wish were extended out a couple minutes longer. Nonetheless, Reno crafts an impressive variety of distinct vibes, moods, and aesthetics that come together to create an amazingly cohesive body of work that will undoubtedly fuel many dance floors to come. Techno for Children & Dogs is ultimately a masterclass in sampling, audio manipulation, and production insanity that I feel I can learn a lot from as a musician. I eagerly await the many dark and demented places Kid Reno will take us to on his next project, though I have a feeling I’ll be content to enjoy this one for quite a while.

Personal enjoyment score: 9 out of 10

Standout tracks: “REDEYEBROWS135”, “DDS”, “ZENITH148”, “TVSTATIC131”, “SP33D”, “YOU CAN’T KILL THEM ALL_145”

AUTHOR’S NOTE: Just another friendly reminder to support Kid Reno by purchasing or streaming the album! I’ve provided links to the album on Spotify, Soundcloud, Apple Music, and Bandcamp. Additional thanks to Alex Ehasz for providing photos for this article. Please check out their photography on their Instagram page @square_enigma.