Kane Ikin

You might not have come across Melbourne's Kane Ikin before, but he's far from a newcomer. A member of experimental duo Solo Andata, Ikin also released material on Taylor Deupree's influential 12k imprint, working with a variety of different sounds and elements over the last decade. Modern Pressure is a milestone for Ikin, written at a trying time that was the producer's hardest financially but most creative musically. Selling equipment to pay the rent, Ikin wrote track-after-track in quick succession to hone his skills, using the process as both a form of escapism and reflection. The resulting album is a mirror of this struggle, a collision of stomach-churning bass and searing percussion that overwhelms your senses, staying with you long after the music has subsided. Ikin manages to harness a variety of influences, folding the sound of early '80s industrial tapes and no wave with the relentless pulse of house and techno, the intense low-end of hardcore and the eerie mood of John Carpenter's most menacing soundtracks. It's an album with a defined narrative that looks to the past without ever losing sight of the future. Dark, shimmering and textured, Modern Pressure is an album for our era - damaged, but not without hope. Mastered & Cut by Matt Colton. Edition of 500 copies.