OM/PR by Orion Moustache & Panta Rex

Pushing the boundaries of intelligent dance music higher into experimental-adjacent analogue territories, where abstract serenity and complex analogue developments entangle in an organic symbiosis of sorts, Noorden’s newest puzzle in sound comes courtesy of two label habitués, Orion Moustache and Panta Rex. Staying true to their genre-unbound DNA and innovative vision, both artists each contribute a trio of oblique sound equations, conjuring up both identifiable rhythmic patterns and off-piste downtempo digressions to shape a grammar truly their own - not quite your usual function-oriented DJ tool, but not floor-opposed either. Hybrid and agile, this co-op between Orion Moustache and Panta Rex oozes inspirational spaciousness and ascetic sophistication thru and thru.

Lapping at the edge between 21st century chamber music and kosmische-infused proto dance, Orion Moustache eases us in the realm of abstract sound geometries through a smorgasbord of sci-fi style laser blasts, tapping drums and acid-drenched manoeuvres on his weightless opener, »Orbit«. Laying it heavy on the breaks and syncopated swagger, »Chips« engineers a fun-loving mix of low-slung hip-hop moves, warped bass modulations and cheap Casio synth tune straight out the 80s wormhole, whereas »Float« trades that hip-rolling gait for a further straightforward groove. Not departing from that breaksy signature but injecting it with a slightly bleaker punch, Orion Moustache takes us on a mesmeric journey across verbed-out post-industrial soundscapes, flush with haunted tape echo’ed tapestries and FX-soaked floor cinematics.

Flip it over and here’s Panta Rex taking over with the metamorphic »Transubstance«. As cascading sequences of primitive drums merge with ghostly exhalations, eerie wind chimes and deeply textured beds of electronics, we’re summoned to a strange shamanic rite of passage. »Straightforward« works a different blend of left-of-centre hardware jazz, fusing intricate drum motifs with elastic distortions, magnetic glitches and modular exchanges to captivating effect. Drawing things to a close, »Lanterna« has us descending into an organic-sounding pool of muddy reverbs and odd grotto sounds, as if on a speleological sortie across a labyrinth of uncharted nooks and crannies. As we find ourselves moving from dark rupestrian alleys onto secret subterranean lakes and mystery-shrouded potholes, Panta Rex’s music swells with growingly enveloping echoes from a distant realm, in search of that elusive memory of another world, buried deep beneath the surface of the one we call home.

NOORDEN is a Cologne/Germany based label for electronic(a) music. We’re a collective of musicians, artists and designers releasing electronic music with an experimental DIY-flavor while pursuing our passion for carefully crafted artworks and special packagings at the same time.

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