Bendejo – Unravel

Californian label Adjunct Audio are well known for the diversity of their releases and constant commitment to pushing the electronic music envelope. Once again they prove to be as powerful as ever with a fresh new EP from Austrian producer Bendejo AKA Benedikt Palier. Unravel is jam packed with emotion and sense tingling realism, combining live recorded strings and pianos, performed by Bendejo himself, alongside dirty drum machine hits and haunting pad work.

The 7 track EP opens with Unravel a touchingly beautiful soundscape of live piano and string melodies pinned together by a saturated set of rhythmic drum hits, progressing slowly towards an inevitable climax. Three remixes follow suit, two by Adjunct label boss Kenneth James Gibson under his Reverse Commuter alias, with both remixes going down a path of rich atmospherics and spectral ambiance. Stefny then steps up for a powerful In The Night Mix. The Montreal artist’s remix is utterly dance floor compatible and with its dark undertones, is set to whip crowds into a stir.

Bendejo second original contribution, Landscapes captures elements of minimal and progressive techno to pinpoint accuracy, with interesting garage influences thrown in the mix. Rolling clicks and skipping low tom and kick hits make for a bubbly 11 minute auditory escape. The legendary  Freaky Chakra, a legend from the underground San Francisco 90’s dance scene, turns in a smashing and slightly more house orientated rework.

Bendejo’s final track Painkillers ventures into darkness, with distant reverberated pads and an infectious broken 4/4 rhythm. Repetitive soft Rhodes stabs break up the tension and allow Bendejo to take the listener on his melancholic journey.