Striking cinematic production creates an immediately vast and otherworldly aura, as techno extraordinaire Tremendous Berty takes listeners down a consciously Unsettled pathway.
Featuring a fine use of juxtaposition on multiple levels – between the upfront melodies and distant, outside-the-club rhythms, and between the various sections of each extensive composition – the EP celebrates the darkness and escapism of electronic dance; amidst a sci-fi kissed arena of contemplation that’s both energising and aptly unsettling.
Lone Knight is the opener, and aside from the relentless pounding rhythm, no two moments appear the same. The track is structurally its own beast, meandering through various moments of haunting reflection and outright explosive movement for six and half minutes. There are of course calling cards, traits of relevance – that ascending retro riff being a main one – but ultimately it’s the provocative nature of the progression that lures you in.
The style is minimalist for the most part, but contrast is key and this allows those structural shifts and bigger moments to really hit with impact. The way Tremendous Berty pans each new section’s details from various corners of the creative space allows the experience to wholly envelop the listener.
Unsettled the title-track follows, and suddenly we’re in the thick of this nostalgic trip through all-night raves – where techno gets the hearts of every dancer aligned in rhythmic unity. Gritty and industrial, dreamy and euphoric – there’s power and intensity to the drop, to the breath-like rise and fall of that distorted synth chord pattern. It creates an addictive presence that leaves an again appropriate, unsettling void of silence when it comes to an end. A definite highlight.
To finish though, a post nine-minute epic that surely underlines the intricacies and intentions of a producer devoted to the creative space.
Drowning In Flames takes full advantage of every moment, not by overloading it with detail, but on the contrary – permitting it the time to allure and engage with the listener. A slow-burning introduction of siren-like rising anticipation once again guides us into the experience, before a gentler, more ambient yet faster-paced progression takes hold. Expect a provocative and imaginative venture, which likely sends each listener somewhere unique to their own mind and reaction.
Integrity and skill meet with knowledge in both genre and productional techniques for this refreshingly focused and authentic EP. Tremendous Berty isn’t a name you’ll forget too easily, and Unsettled proves a worthy reinforcement of that fact.
Download or stream Unsettled here. Check out Tremendous Berty on Instagram & Facebook.
