Sonic Router

RECOMMENDED: Nochexxx – Savage Herald/Charro [RAMP Recordings]

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In my head I’ve always imagined Cambridge’s Nochexxx like I used to imagine Shackleton when I first got into Skull Disco – before I knew anything about him as a person or a producer. Dominating the mind’s eye like an ominous spindly shadow, that’s coloured in with a Count Duckula-esque palette of vivid greens, yellows and purples Nochexxx’s rough analogue productions prod at you purposefully. They’re scuffed and rugged and unlike the randomised grace of Shackleton’s fluttering percussion patter, Nochexxx is more direct with his rhythm work. Admittedly it’s an odd comparison considering the gulf in style and the lack of drone displayed by Nochexxx, but aesthetically you get the same kind of combative, stoic attitude from both producers.

The slow kick drum chug of ‘Savage Herald,’ the A side taken from his latest release for RAMP Recordings, hits heavy, spreading its weight across the surface of the mixdown with its impact. Insistent isn’t really the word, it’s plumped and drives every part of the groove – something Nochexxx colours in with weird delayed synth stabs that pitter patter behind the bumble of the bass riff. ‘Charro’ is the more twisted of the two cuts; it’s full of awkwardly EQed metallic swirling riffs that dance alongside the quick rolling bass line and his static tailed snares. It’s a purposefully maddening production that’s been mirrored excellently by the visual world of Plastic Horse in the surreal video clip (below). The way Nochexxx has cut and stitched the riffs together, those directional shifts and sound collages, all feel super natural, joined in place by a woozy sense of discombobulation and a fractured attention span.

His is an odd recipe for sure, but Nochexxx’s recent productions are marking him out ahead of a lot of people. The sound world he populates, the way he reaches into your brain and grabs you with his heavy drums and weird melody shifts is reminiscent of people like Ekoplekz, Mordant Music (who released a Shackleton 10” called ‘I Want To Eat You’) and artists whose work toys with the edges of convention. It’s just that Nochexxx flaunts with it holding a keen eye on the dancefloor and a burgeoning desire to make your limbs flail like a clap happy fuckwit.

Words: Oli Marlow // Out: Now