Well, Telekinesis, the Slovenian production team releasing their new EP, No Brain, No Pain on EatBrain this coming Monday, September 25, certainly have a point. Without a brain, there’s probably a lot less pain, but then one couldn’t comprehend drum and bass and that just wouldn’t do. EatBrain’s 44th release, with increasingly gory album art, is both complex and glitchy and sparse, beat-wise.
Case in point in terms of production style is the the title track on No Brain, No Pain. It opens with what might surprisingly be classed as emotive synths with major-to-minor key changes that will make listeners wonder are not listening to an ambient track instead of heavy neurofunk. As the track gears up, towards the cartoon-vocal break, however, it becomes clear where this track is going. That said, the drop is not as heavy as one would expect either. The main tech/glitch synth which drives the track is also high-pitched and sparse, with a rumbling sub bass filling in the gaps.
Another surprising element in “No Brain, No Pain” is the snares, which are peppered throughout the track and seem inspired by early neurofunk tracks or even the likes of Venetian Snares. The track goes back to thoroughly modern quickly, however, as it goes distinctly halftime before the second break. It would be interesting to find out how Telekinesis put this track together, as it definitely seems quite cut up and screwed back together, with different elements popping up and disappearing all over the place. This doesn’t make “No Brain, No Pain” any less cohesive, mind you, just likely a challenge to mix on the dancefloor.
On the whole, the No Brain, No Pain EP has a lot of sound design elements which show that Telekinesis are always experimenting in the studio and, like their album cover and label, are looking to push the boundaries of what “hard” drum and bass and neuro look and sound like.
No Brain, No Pain is out on EatBrain Beatport exclusive on September 25.